Diego Lopes expects Brian Ortega to gather it to the octagon without a hiccups on Sept. 14 at UFC 306 no subject all the drama that unfolded hours before their scheduled June bout.
Lopes and Ortega agreed to face each and each various in a featherweight showdown on short take into memoir at UFC 303 after the card suffered principal hits, most critically the cancellation of Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, however the bout used to be then moved to 155 kilos hours before first rate weigh-ins after Ortega had issues cutting again weight.
In an unheard of transfer, Dan Ige in the discontinuance changed Ortega accurate hours before the fight, facing Lopes in a 165-pound catchweight after Ortega fell ill. Lopes defeated Ige by decision for his fourth straight UFC uncover, and requested the promotion to retry the Ortega fight.
Every warring parties acquire now agreed to meet in a featherweight contest next month on the Sphere, and the Brazilian is confident that Ortega will collect weight and save healthy.
“I collect no longer acquire any terror,” Lopes told MMA Battling. “He’s continuously had a troublesome time to gather 145, however he continuously makes weight. It didn’t work out final time, unfortunately, however I do understand it. We had two weeks [notice], he weighed over 176 kilos. We knew something savor that might well perhaps perhaps occur so we even supplied to fight at 155, however the UFC stated no. However I collect no longer acquire any terror [about Ortega missing weight now]. I’m chilly, I’m serious about my work and serious about evolving every day, to transfer there and collect a accurate job.”
Lopes stated he used to be “caught ” with the offer to fight Ige on accurate hours’ take into memoir and that it felt savor “going to the gym on sparring day and randomly sparring anyone.”
It used to be an expertise that taught him valuable lessons.
“I proved something to myself, that I’m interesting for any self-discipline in a fight,” Lopes stated. “They changed the load, changed the opponent on late take into memoir, and that showed I in actual fact acquire a proper thoughts to be interesting for any adversity.”
Lopes and Ortega can acquire plump camps to space up for each and each various this time around, and the Mexico-basically based mostly athlete sees similarities between them in the boxing and grappling departments.
“The hypothesis is continuously the the same — hump forward and breeze for the collect as immediate as that that you can imagine,” Lopes stated. “I do know that doing a accurate work in the Ortega fight and beating him emphatically might well perhaps maybe elevate me in the rankings and my title will likely be proper to fight for the belt in due course.
“I don’t know if I’ll breeze straight for the belt [with a win at UFC 306], however my title will surely be on the table if something occurs. If the UFC has any final-minute adjustments, my title will likely be on the table, accurate savor it used to be after they had to replace the co-principal occasion at UFC 303. We can verbalize a chance [for the belt] received’t be that a long way.”
