After his defeat to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314, Diego Lopes bounced back to secure an impressive win over Jean Silva at Noche UFC last month. His performance was so thrilling that, alongside being given a Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonus, UFC announcer Brendan Fitzgerald introduced him at Friday’s UFC Vancouver Q&A as “fresh off one of the best fights of the year.”

The 30-year-old Brazilian was among three fighters, alongside Loopy Godinez and Marc-Andre Barriault, fielding questions from fans. Despite Barriault being the hometown favorite, the Canadian crowd appeared more interested in Diego Lopes. Their back-and-forth ended up revealing Lopes’ desire for a dream matchup against BMF champion Max Holloway.

Can Diego Lopes beat Max Holloway in a “tickle fight”?

After the Q&A session began, a fan quickly asked Lopes something he was clearly not ready for. Who would win a tickle fight between Lopes and Holloway, and why? Before Lopes’ translator could explain the question, Fitzgerald jumped in to state the obvious. “That’s a weird question, bro,” Fitzgerald said. Confused, Lopes added, “I don’t know, bro,” adding, “Maybe me.” Jokes aside, though, a while later, another fan stood up with a question for Lopes.

This time, the question was about Lopes’ dream fight in the UFC. “Oh, I told this many times, I think Max Holloway,” the Lobo Gym MMA team member said confidently. “Max Holloway. I [have] followed [his career] for a long time. Yeah, I think one day when I fight with him like that good for me.”

Holloway is, of course, at lightweight, which means Lopes, despite being the No. 2-ranked featherweight, will have to move up. ‘Blessed’ is also the current ‘BMF’ title holder, which he won after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. While a fight between them isn’t impossible, it’s not happening anytime soon.

In the meantime, though, Lopes has already revealed his intentions to return to the Octagon.

Lopes is ready to return in December

Fresh off his second-round TKO win over Jean Silva, the 30-year-old has already resumed his training. Lopes told Hablemos MMA he only received a seven-day medical suspension and returned to the gym immediately. “People know I like to fight,” Lopes said. “I’m never too heavy. If the UFC calls and asks me to fight next week, I’ll catch a flight and I’m there.” 

He continued, “So yeah, if the UFC wants me to fight in December, I’m there.” Having lost his title shot to Alexander Volkanovski, Lopes believes his spectacular spinning-elbow finish reestablished his place in the title mix. “The job was well done, 10 out of 10,” he added. “People want exciting fights, and I think my name sounds good to a lot of people.”

Having said that, Max Holloway remains a distant dream for Diego Lopes for now. But only time will tell whether he gets a chance at redemption against Volkanovski. Who would you want Lopes to fight next?