Diego Lopes will request Noche UFC rematch vs. Movsar Evloev with UFC 314 title win

If Diego Lopes captures the unoccupied heavyweight title in the UFC 314 against Alexander Volkanovski, his first order of business will be to handle his lone hexagon battle.

Lopes ( 26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) enters his first championship opportunity against Volkanovski ( 26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the April 12 headliner at Kaseya Center in Miami ( ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+ ) on the power of a five-fight winning streak.

All those victories came on the heels of Lopes dropping his special album to Movsar Evloev by unanimous selection in a fight he took on short notice at UFC 288 in May 2023.

Evloev ( 19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) still holds an undefeated record years later and, by merit, is the most deserving next contender for the belt. Lopes intends to give him an late crack at silver so he can kill the decline in his first security.

&#8220, Of course, this struggle for me is crucial because this guy beat me in the past, &#8221, Lopes told MMA Junkie on Friday. &#8220, But now it &#8217, s unique. It&#8217, s various items. I&#8217, m at the top, and this man, too. Probably we&#8217, will battle for the title. I&#8217, m but excited for the next step, but my focus is on Volkanovski. I win the belt and I will question the UFC for the fight with Movsar. &#8221,

Not only does Lopes, 33, see Evloev, 30, as an excellent player for his first protection, he thinks there&#8217, s a great timeline for it, as well. Lopes was born in Brazil, but he&#8217, s spent the past decade-plus putting down roots in Mexico.

UFC 320 on Sept. 13, also knoωn as Noche UFC, will touch down iȵ Lopes &#8217, residing city oƒ Guadalajaɾa, Mexico. Whether it &#8217, s against Evloev or no, he said he will be competing on that card.

&#8220, One hundred percent, this is my purpose: Win the fight next week and I will question the UFC for the fight in Guadalajara, &#8221, Lopes said. &#8220, For me, to defend the title in Guadalajara, Mexico, is specific for me, because I&#8217, d lived in Mexico for 10 years. I live in Guadalajara. I have so much persons in Guadalajara help me. One hundred percent, I will fight to defend the buckle in September. &#8221,

For more on the cards, visit MMA Junkie&#8217, s function hub for UFC 314.

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