The speculations that UFC 306 was struggling to appeal to fans rang hollow because the PPV was an absolute success. It wasn’t just the enticing visuals but also the fights that delivered, especially the featherweight clash between Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega. The 29-year-old recorded his fifth win on the trot. The victory seems to have had Dana White reward him in a pretty big way.

Diego Lopes maintains his consistency yet again! After stepping up to take on Dan Ige at the turbulent UFC 303 pay-per-view, he got the better of Brian Ortega, for his biggest career win. Lopes, thereafter, came clean about what he wanted next, and that’s the gold strap.

Dana White seemingly rewards Diego Lopes after he calls for a title fight

As the result came in, the winner was an obvious choice as Diego Lopes took the victory home with a unanimous decision victory. It was after the win that the 29-year-old urged Dana White to give for a title shot because he thought he deserved it after dispatching Brian Ortega. Lopes also believes he’s earned his way to the top 3 with the win over ‘T-City’.

“I think I got the number 3 in the world. Brian has been there for quite some time… Just put my name on the table for a title fight,” Diego Lopes stated in the post fight interview. Interestingly, even commentator Jon Anik confirmed that the Brazilian featherweight had indeed made the climb to number 3 in the rankings.

But how did the fight go? Well, it did live up to expectations; there was no doubt about that. What’s interesting was that Diego Lopes showed some excellent technique and tactics to shut down the former title challenger. Let’s rewind and see the events that transpired during the fight.

The fight – as it went down

The fight started off with a bang as Diego Lopes stunned Brian Ortega with a strong right hand, taking ‘T-City’ down. He would continue to keep the pressure on the former featherweight title challenger, busting him open with a cut, but eventually, they’d get back up and start exchanging strikes. The second round started rather slowly, with both fighters on their feet as Ortega failed to secure a takedown.

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Diego Lopes would start breathing a little heavy but resorted to connecting leg kicks, which really paid off as he managed to knock down Brian Ortega after repeated blows on the outside of his left leg. The final round saw both fighters stay on their feet for most of the time, but Lopes would drop Ortega thereafter once more with a string left hand this time before the round came to a close.

What do you think about Diego Lopes climbing to the third spot in the 145-pound rankings? Rcently, Caio Borralho was the one who made a big jump in the ranks. Is Lopes going to do the same? Drop your comments below.