Diego Lopes says lightweight move is definitely a possibility but UFC’s plans could change this

A third shot at the belt will require the Brazilian to produce some more big wins, especially if ‘The Great’ hangs on to the 145 pound gold.

After Volkanovski spoke about Lopes ‘wasting his chance’ in their recent clash, the challenger spoke about whether he could move divisions as a result.

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Diego Lopes says he needs to speak with the UFC before committing to lightweight move

Diego Lopes recently stated that he’s been thinking about potentially moving up to lightweight for some time.

Ahead of his recent featherweight title fight, Lopes said that it could be his last chance to win the belt, seemingly suggesting that he would be leaving the division in the near future.

“It’s something I’ve actually been thinking about for a while now,” Lopes told Laerte Viana in a recent interview. “I’ve already been talking with the people closest to me, and yes, it’s definitely a possibility.”

He went on to add that he needs to speak to the UFC first before committing to a move to 155 pounds.

Given the relationship that he has with the promotion, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lopes back in featherweight title contention in the near future, especially if Alexander Volkanovski loses the belt.

“We also have to see what the UFC’s plans are, right? So first, I want to sit down, talk to the UFC, see what they have in mind for me, see what they’ll tell me,” he said. “Then we’ll also give them our opinion from there but yes, moving up a division is definitely a possibility.”

Diego Lopes clearly has the frame to compete at lightweight

The likes of Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway are just two examples of featherweight fighters achieving success after moving up a weight class.

Diego Lopes will be at a size disadvantage against some lightweights on the roster but as one of the bigger fighters at 145 pounds, he clearly has the frame to make this switch.

Taking the top five ranked fighters at 155 pounds and putting them side-by-side with Lopes shows that he is more than a physical match for them, according to UFC Stats.

If anything, when looking at these stats, it’s impressive that Lopes has been able to compete at featherweight for such a long time before contemplating this move.