LAS VEGAS — Diego Lopez wishes Brian Ortega the best after illness forced him to cancel Saturday's UFC 303 showdown, and he hopes the two will meet again.
After Ortega (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) withdrew from their co-main event bout at T-Mobile Arena, Lopez (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC) faced replacement Dan Ige (18-8 MMA, 10-7 UFC) on four hours' notice and won by unanimous decision.
“I said it (Friday), I'm willing to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere,” Lopez told MMA Junkie and other reporters during his post-fight press conference. “I'm willing to fight anytime. No problem.”
Lopez's attitude and actions leading up to UFC 303, including accepting the bout on short notice, adjusting to an underweight opponent and accepting a fight-day change, led UFC CEO Dana White to praise Lopez after the event.
White has committed Lopez to compete on the promotion's UFC 306 card at the Sphere, an event celebrating Mexico's Independence Day. Lopez, a native of Brazil, is a resident of Mexico.
Lopez is hoping the bout with Ortega will be decided there and then.
“My respect for Brian,” Lopez said, “I had information from camp that he was actually trying to make weight, and I understand he missed this fight. I wish him the best of health and I have no ill will towards him.”
“If UFC actually reschedules my fight with Brian Ortega, I'll be very happy. If they reschedule it at the Sphere, I'll be even happier. … So, I'll be happy. And if they put me in the top five.”
The 29-year-old Lopez has risen to stardom over the past 13 months since accepting a short-notice bout against Movsar Evloev in May 2023. Though Lopez lost the bout, he has made a name for himself for his fighting spirit against highly ranked opponents.
The theme of adapting to hostile situations is one that Lopez has pursued throughout his career, and one that he credits for his success.
“Given everything that's happened in the last 48 hours, I think I need to have some respect for my name,” Lopez said. “I think I'm ready to fight anyone in the top five. … This is my life. My life has been a series of opportunities, and it happened. Look at my first fight, look at my debut at UFC. I was basically given five days notice for the fight, and it happened with two days of travel.
“I have a great team to work with. I think what we did was basically sit down and talk about it. With this team, we knew this was a great opportunity. We're ready to compete and we're going to take it all on.”
It's unclear what Ortega's next move will be or if he'll stay at featherweight, as he told MMA Junkie ahead of UFC 303 that he had already committed to moving down to lightweight before receiving the offer.
For more on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 303 event hub.
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