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Diego Lopes continued his impressive winning streak at UFC 303 by securing a hard-fought decision victory over Dan Ige, who stepped in on extremely short notice. Originally set to fight Brian Ortega, Lopes faced a significant change in opponent when Ige accepted the fight just hours before the event.
With Ortega sidelined due to illness, Ige, living nearby, answered the UFC’s call to save the bout. Despite having no time to prepare for Lopes or a three-round fight, Ige delivered a commendable performance. Lopes, however, displayed superior striking and grappling skills over the first two rounds, while Ige mounted a strong comeback in the final round. Ultimately, Lopes secured the victory with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28 in his favor.
“Dan Ige, thank you so much, brother,” Lopes expressed post-fight. “All the respect to Dan Ige. Not many fighters take a fight on three hours’ notice. Whomever, whenever, however, I’ll fight anybody. It doesn’t matter. I’ll fight anybody.”
From the outset, both fighters engaged in aggressive exchanges. Lopes used his size and reach advantage to strike from the outside, while Ige was eager to trade blows, especially when closing the distance. Lopes’ powerful strikes were met with Ige’s solid defense, who managed to block most of the damage.
In the first round, Ige attempted a takedown, leading to a guillotine choke attempt by Lopes, which transitioned into a D’Arce choke. Although threatened, Ige remained composed and escaped to continue into the second round.
In the second round, Lopes targeted Ige’s lead leg with powerful kicks, causing visible damage. A scramble led to Lopes taking Ige’s back and securing a body triangle. Ige defended well but struggled to escape Lopes' control, throwing backward punches in a bid to inflict damage until the round ended.
Realizing he was likely down two rounds, Ige came out strong in the third round, landing a powerful straight right that snapped Lopes' head back. Despite his efforts, including several stiff shots and ground-and-pound strikes, Ige couldn't turn the fight in his favor but earned respect for his valiant performance.
“It doesn’t matter — eight weeks, six weeks, four weeks, four hours, it doesn’t matter,” Ige shouted. “This is what I live for. This is an opportunity to become a legend. To show up on four hours’ notice at International Fight Week …. I couldn’t be happier with my performance.”
Given the drastic change in opponents from Ortega to Ige, Lopes deserves credit for adapting and maintaining his winning streak. Looking ahead, Lopes aims to either settle unfinished business with Ortega or face a former featherweight champion in his next fight.