Diego Lopes has received UFC approval to move up to the 155-pound division. The Brazilian featherweight had sought the move even before his last fight, but the promotion sent him to compete at 145 pounds instead. Lopes says a top-five or top-six opponent at lightweight would suit him well. He also served as the official backup fighter at the UFC White House event, weighing in at 155 pounds and earning a paycheck for making weight — an initiative he and his manager proposed directly to the promotion after learning Arman Tsarukyan would not be weighing in due to his altercation with Rafael Fiziev.
Diego Lopes has received the green light from the UFC to compete at lightweight, clearing the way for the Brazilian striker to move up from featherweight and test himself at 155 pounds.
Lopes, 31, enters the lightweight division ranked seventh at featherweight and carrying a 28-8 record. Standing five-foot-eleven with a 72-inch reach, he has the frame to compete comfortably at the heavier weight class. His offensive output is notable — he lands 3.83 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy and averages 1.4 submission attempts per 15 minutes, making him a well-rounded threat on the feet and on the mat. According to Lopes, he had already sought the move before his most recent outing at 145 pounds, only for the promotion to redirect him back to featherweight. He has indicated that a top-five or top-six opponent at lightweight would be the right level of competition to enter the division.
Lopes also demonstrated his readiness to compete at the new weight when he served as the official backup fighter at the UFC White House event, coming in at 155 pounds and collecting a paycheck for making weight. The arrangement was one he and his manager reportedly pitched directly to the promotion after it emerged that number-one ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan would not be weighing in following his altercation with Rafael Fiziev.
Tsarukyan, 29, is a 23-3 Russian fighter out of American Top Team who lands 3.85 significant strikes per minute and averages 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes, representing the kind of elite competition that populates the top of a deep lightweight roster.
Why it matters
- Lopes brings featherweight-level striking volume and submission activity into a lightweight division with several available top-ten opponents
- His physical dimensions — 180 cm tall with a 183 cm reach — translate well to the 155-pound class
- A matchup against a top-five or top-six lightweight would have immediate rankings implications in one of the UFC's most competitive divisions
