Diego Lopes is making a clear move at a clear moment: after two losses to Alexander Volkanovski at featherweight, he is headed to 155 lbs and wants his next fight to come at UFC 334 on November 14 at Madison Square Garden.
That matters because this is not just a change of scenery. It is a reset of Lopes’s title path. At 145 lbs, the road had already been blocked, and the move to 70 kg gives him a chance to rebuild that path in a division with a different set of contenders and a different kind of urgency.
Lopes confirmed to AG Fight that the lightweight move is the direction he wants to take, and he said the conversations for the next bout are already moving forward. The target, at least for now, is straightforward: November in New York City, on a major UFC card at Madison Square Garden.
There is logic to the timing as well. Lopes said the extra time helps him adjust his weight for 70 kg, which suggests this is not a rushed jump but a planned one. That should matter to the UFC, which could now look at a top-10 or even top-five opponent right away.
One name already floating in the wider lightweight picture is Charles Oliveira, who is free right now. Another important reference point is Arman Tsarukyan, who is booked against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331. That leaves Lopes in a division where the opening could be there if the promotion wants to move quickly.
The most interesting part of the move is what it says about how Lopes sees his own future. He is not trying to force the same featherweight story again. He is choosing a new lane, one that may be harder in some ways, but also cleaner in terms of opportunity.
If UFC 334 becomes the launch point, then Lopes’s lightweight career will not begin with a soft landing. It will begin with a statement.
