Diego Lopes is set to fight Sodiq Yusuff in the prelims of UFC 300 on April 13, giving Lopes another chance to break into the featherweight top 15.
Diego Lopes, right? He’s getting another crack at the featherweight top 15. That’s the word on the street, anyway.
Wednesday was the day. The UFC made it official. Lopes is set to fight Sodiq Yusuff. And where’s this going down? The prelims of UFC 300, my friend.
When’s that? April 13. Where? None other than the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Exciting, huh?
Lopes, he’s got some history. MMA Fighting’s 2023 Rookie of the Year, that’s him. Had a sensational year in UFC. Started with a short-notice debut against Movsar Evloev. Lost, but it was a tight one. Even won Fight of the Night.
He’s 29, this featherweight. Followed up his debut with back-to-back Performance bonuses. First-round wins over Gavin Tucker and Pat Sabatini. Impressive, right? He’s also a coach in MMA. This fight? It’s his shot at a UFC ranking. Maybe even a title shot.
Yusuff, though, he’s had a rough 2023. Only fought once. Lost a unanimous decision to Edson Barboza at UFC Vegas 81. Still took home Fight of the Night honors, though. He’s No. 12 on the UFC’s featherweight rankings. He’ll be looking to defend his spot against Lopes.
UFC 300, it’s still a bit of a mystery. No confirmed main event yet. But there’s a bunch of fights announced. Wanna know who’s on the card? Here’s the line-up:
Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway. BMF title fight, no less. Zhang Weili vs. Yan Xiaonan. That’s a strawweight title fight. Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan. Kayla Harrison vs. Holly Holm. Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar. Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic. Cody Garbrandt vs. Deiveson Figueiredo. Jim Miller vs. Bobby Green. And Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage.
Quite the line-up, huh?