Rising Star confirmed as UFC 308 title fight backup

Diego Lopes is the replacement fighter for the featherweight title fight between Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in October.

Lopes confirmed the news in a post from September 27th.

“Official support for the fight on October 26th. See you in Abu Dhabi,” Lopes wrote.

The news confirms Lopes' status as the next featherweight title challenger following Topuria's conclusion to Holloway. The Brazilian grappler-slugger has enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame sparked by his incredible debut performance against Movsar Evloev in May 2023.

Since his debut loss, Lopes has racked up five consecutive wins and three placings. Most notably, he fought Dan Ige for hours at UFC 303 in June and pulled off a quick turnaround to defeat top-five contender Brian Ortega in September.

The UFC has the makings of another superstar if Lopes gets into a title fight.

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