Just months before Diego Lopes’ rematch against Alexander Volkanovski was made official, the Brazilian was honest about who the champion should have fought next.
This past April, Diego Lopes had his first chance at undisputed gold when he took on Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 314.
The Brazilian was dominated for five rounds by the Australian who went on to reclaim his title with a unanimous decision win.
But just a few months later, Lopes returned to action against the soaring featherweight Jean Silva, in what was regarded as a big fight in the division.
Lopes admitted fellow contender should fight Volkanovski for the title
Not long before his fight against ‘Lord’ Silva, Lopes spoke about the top of the division, and he admitted that undefeated contender Lerone Murphy was in the best position for a title shot.
“I think Lerone Murphy (should fight Volkanovski next for the belt), Lerone Murphy did a good job in his last fight, I think he deserves to fight for the title, but I feel bad for Movsar (Evloev),” Lopes told The Ariel Helwani Show.
Just a few weeks before Lopes’ clash against Silva, Murphy welcomed Aaron Pico to the UFC with an astonishing knockout, which will go down as potentially the Knockout of the Year.
Following the win, Volkanovski revealed that he wanted to fight ‘The Miracle’ next, with him being a contender that the Australian hasn’t fought yet.
Despite that, just a few weeks later, Lopes put an end to Silva’s win streak, almost taking the shine away from Murphy’s win, but it still seemed as though Murphy was in poll position for the title shot considering Volkanovski’s preference.
However, this past Thursday, it was announced by the UFC boss Dana White that Volkanovski’s next title defense will come in a rematch against Lopes in the UFC 325 main event in Sydney, Australia.
See how Alexander Volkanovski reacted to his UFC 325 rematch! Would you have rather seen his opponent wish granted? 🤔
Lerone Murphy unhappy with the UFC
After being snubbed for the next title shot, the Brit has let it known that he is extremely unhappy with the promotion’s decision.
The undefeated contender went on to claim that the UFC is no longer about the best fighting the best, it is simply a ‘popularity contest’.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Bloody Elbow content each week direct to your mailbox