UFC Freedom 250 saw 14 fighters light up the White House with knockout action. However, one of them is now eyeing a major career move. Diego Lopes faced off against Steve Garcia, opening the card. After one and a half rounds of battle, the Brazilian featherweight managed to secure a knockout win. After teasing a move to 155 lbs for weeks leading up to the UFC Freedom 250, Lopes revealed he wanted to move up to lightweight. And now that the dust is starting to settle, he expects UFC to let him move on to the next division. 

“I’m open to moving up to 155,” Lopes told Ariel Helwani. “I wasn’t expecting to be at 145 now. So I talked to UFC this week about moving to 155. UFC liked the idea. Of course, it wasn’t the best option for us. I want to fight as soon as possible. So I can fight next month if it’s possible. 155, for me, is the best option now. Because I think the ranking has a great fight for me. For my style too. So I think for me, 155 can put a great show for everyone.”

“So if UFC said, OK, you keep at 145, OK, I’ll keep at 145. But if they say, OK, what’s the best chance for you to move to 155? I hope to move to 155.”

Contrary to what Lopes says, it’s not the best option for him. Instead, it’s the only option for him. He hasn’t fought in bantamweight since 2018. If he remains at featherweight, he has no future for a title shot since Alexander Volkanovski defeated him twice dominantly. That leaves him with the only option to move up in weight. 

He can thank the UFC for that since there was no need for an immediate rematch with ‘Volk.’ He could have trained more and leveled up before a rematch, but that didn’t happen. Now, in lightweight, it would be much easier for Lopes to make weight. But the thing is, ‘Volk’ recently spoke about facing Justin Gaethje if he is given the opportunity, creating a champ vs. champ fight. 

If the UFC grants that wish for Volkanovski, they could stand in opposite corners for the third time. For now, though, the Brazilian hasn’t decided who he wants to fight next. 

“No, not really,” Lopes added when asked for a particular name in the division. “I think everyone in the top six, top five, is a good fight for me.”

The top five in lightweight include Ilia Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan, Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway, and Benoît Saint Denis. Two of the fighters are currently scheduled for fights, leaving Ilia Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan, and Charles Oliveira. Topuria recently lost, so he is not coming back anytime soon. Arman Tsarukyan is trying to set up a fight against champion Justin Gaethje. 

Only Oliveira remains, but it’s yet to be seen whether the UFC would give him that fight. In any case, when he does come to the lightweight division, he has already shown that he can easily make weight. 

Diego Lopes’ unprecedented double weigh-in

Fans who watched the White House card weigh-ins must have noticed the Brazilian weighed in twice. If you were wondering why, Lopes has confirmed that he replaced Arman Tsarukyan as the backup for the main event fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. 

“My manager saw that Arman was not coming to fight week to be the backup, so I just told him, ‘What do you think about texting Hunter and asking to be the backup?” Lopes told Helwani. “I texted Hunter. Hunter said, ‘Hey, are you serious?’ I said, ‘If you need it, I can do this.’”

Notably, this was the first time someone in the UFC weighed in for two different fights despite fighting on the same card. Lopes also confirmed that he was paid double for weighing in twice. At first, he weighed in for his featherweight fight at 146 pounds. And an hour later, he returned eight pounds heavier to make the lightweight limit.

According to Lopes, his team helped him tremendously to get the job done. After his own win in the first fight of the night, Diego Lopes was ready for a second bout if the need arose. And he wasn’t kidding. 

“I would never make a joke like that,” Lopes added. “I’m here. The people know me. This is not the first time I’ve done crazy things in my career.”

While Diego Lopes has managed to butter up the UFC with his move to offer up as a backup despite fighting on the same card, only time will tell whether the UFC returns the favor.