Elite UFC featherweight reacts to Diego Lopes snubbing him to Yair Rodriguez fight: “What I was told"

Diego Lopes will reportedly face off against Yair Rodriguez in March, news that has yet to be confirmed by the UFC. Lopes was hoping to secure an interim title bout against Alexander Volkanovski, which does not appear to be likely.

Instead he will clash with one of the featherweight division's most dynamic and electric strikers in 'El Pantera'. However, it seems that news of Lopes facing off against the former interim champion has left fellow elite contender Arnold Allen without an opponent.

Allen last competed at UFC 304 in June, where he defeated Giga Chikadze via decision. However, he suffered a hand injury in Round 1 of the bout, and was sidelined for the remainder of the year.

'Almighty' will no doubt be eager to return to competition having recovered from his injury, and recently shared his reaction to news of Lopes vs. Rodriquez after being quizzed by a fan on X.

MMA journalist @realkevink took to social media and wrote:

"Diego Lopes vs. Yair Rodriguez in the works for UFC Mexico on March 29th targeted to be the main event."

Following a fan asking Allen whether or not he had been in talks to face Rodriguez, he responded by saying:

"That's what I was told but things can change."

Check out Arnold Allen's reaction to Lopes vs. Rodriguez fight news below:

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Diego Lopes wins 2024 Breakout Fighter of the Year award

Diego Lopes has had an incredible run in the octagon since making his promotional debut at UFC 288 against Movsar Evloev in May 2023. He narrowly lost to Evloev, but has won his next five fights, including a tough matchup against Brian Ortega in his previous outing at UFC 306.

The Brazilian secured three wins inside the octagon in 2024, with all three victories coming in six months. He defeated elite contender Sodiq Yusuff via TKO at UFC 300 before handing Dan Ige a decision defeat at UFC 303, a fight that Ige took on three hours notice.

Aside from his three impressive victories in 2024, Lopes has displayed some of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu that elite submission-grappler Craig Jones has seen inside the UFC.

Lopes' incredible 2024 performances have seen him rise to No.3 in the featherweight rankings, and he is on the cusp of a coveted UFC title shot. During the recently announced ESPN MMA 2024 awards, he was crowned the Breakout Fighter of the Year.

Check out ESPN MMA announcing Diego Lopes as an award-winner below: