“I Want to Feel My Power”: Diego Lopes Reveals Why He’s Moving Up to Lightweight

Diego Lopes is coming off a second-round knockout victory over Steve Garcia in the featherweight division in June at UFC Freedom 250. 

However, now the 31-year-old is moving up from 145 lbs to 155 lbs. He is booked against Charles Oliveira in his debut, and Lopes revealed the reason behind his move.

Diego Lopes Talks About His Lightweight Move

Ahead of his lightweight debut, Lopes revealed in an interview with Ariel Helwani that he was running out of clear options in the featherweight division. 

“I lost twice to Volk, I won my last fight at 145, and we don’t have a lot of options there right now. So we made the decision to move to 155 and take some fun fights,” Lopes said. 

Furthermore, he also explained that this move is not permanent. Lopes wants to examine how his body responds at this division. He is open to moving back to the featherweight division. 

“Now I can do more things. I can take supplements, I can take creatine, I can lift more. I want to feel my power and my strength at 155, and after this fight we’ll see if I stay or go back to 145,” Lopes added. 

Lopes has had his fair share in the featherweight division. He has wins over elites like Jean Silva and Brian Ortega. However, he has fallen short in two title fights against Alexander Volkanovski. Now, a new division might bring him new opportunities. 

Robert Whittaker Backs Diego Lopes Against Charles Oliveira

Diego Lopes will headline UFC 335 for the BMF title against Charles Oliveira in December. And many are already counting him out against a natural lightweight. 

However, the former interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker doesn’t fall under the same bracket. "I think Diego Lopes gets it done," Whittaker said on his YouTube channel while breaking down the fight.

"I love Charles Oliveira like everybody else, but I don’t think Charles will have the ground superiority that he always has. And if it comes to toughness and walking people down, Lopes has to be the favorite," he added.  

Whittaker’s pick is logical since Lopes has a strong ground defense. He has already proved the same in fights against Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

Oliveira does have the strength and size advantage, but Lopes has the skill to nullify his primary ground game. And if the fight remains on the feet, Lopes brings explosive knockout power, which can be a threat to any contender inside the cage with him.