Brian Ortega (25-6) already had a lot of respect for his next opponent, Diego Lopez (16-3), and the Brazilian’s performance at UFC 303 just increased that respect even more.
Ortega had been preparing to move up to lightweight, but agreed to face Lopez at featherweight two weeks before UFC 303 in June of this year. The weight cut was too much for Ortega, and the fight was announced as cancelled after it had already begun. In a miraculous turn of events, Dan Ige stepped up to take on Lopez four hours before the bout, and Lopez struggled to beat the tenacious “50K” and won by unanimous decision.
Ortega has real respect for Lopez, who accepted the bout at a catchweight of 165 pounds with only four hours’ notice.
“road [Diego
Lopes] “The way he approaches things is very admirable,” Ortega told UFC.com. “Everything he’s had to go through, being able to step in at such short notice, like four hours before, he’s earned my respect. Not that he wasn’t before, but I just had a lot more respect for what he’s accomplished and what he’s doing.”UFC 306: O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili, Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+. Order now!
The bout between Ortega and the highly-ranked Lopez will be replayed on Saturday at UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. It will be a unique experience for Ortega, who is Mexican-American, to fight on the card also known as “Noche UFC Riyadh Season,” the promotion’s annual tribute to Mexico.
“I know it’s going to be crazy already,” Ortega said. “Just the fact that the game is at the Sphere is one thing. Then you add in Mexican Independence Day, and I wasn’t even here. [last year]”But from what I’ve heard, it was a huge success. It was crazy. The crowd, the energy was wild. Hopefully we can replicate that again this year.”
Ortega had been out of the running for a title shot since losing his second gold medal to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266 in 2021. He then suffered a freak shoulder injury in a loss to Yair Rodriguez the following year. Ortega returned for the first time in nearly two years in a rematch against Rodriguez at UFC Mexico City in February of this year. Despite a visibly injured ankle just before the start of the bout, Ortega earned a classic submission victory in the third round.
Meanwhile, Lopez lost his debut against Movsar Evloev but bounced back with four straight wins, including three first-round bouts.
