Diego Lopes: BMF title shot vs. Charles Oliveira is 'perfect fight for me'
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Diego Lopes feels like his next UFC fight is tailor made for him.
Lopes (28-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has been booked to fight for the BMF title against champion Charles Oliveira (37-11 MMA, 25-11 UFC) in the main event of UFC 335. The event place on Dec. 12 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+).
The matchup announcement caused a stir in the fight community. Lopes, who will move up from featherweight to the lightweight division, thinks it's the "coolest" fight of his MMA career, and the Brazilian can't wait until he's locked in the octagon with "Do Bronx."
"I want fun fights. I want fights that can take me to the next level, and Charles is the perfect fight for me," Lopes told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "This is the perfect fight for me. You'll never see me calling out or chasing fighters like, 'I want this guy, I want this other fight.' No. If they give me options, I want to fight the toughest, the most difficult guy to fight. That's what I want. I've always had a lot of respect for Charles. We've shared moments and taken pictures, and we've been together at several events. We have mutual respect, but work is work. When the cage closes, I'm sure he's going to try to rip my head off, and I will be looking to do the same. Friendship stays outside of the cage."
The BMF title, which was inaugurated in a fight between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal in 2019, is separate from the UFC undisputed title. The belt was designed for all-action fighters, who have a long history of laying it all on the line. Lopes might not have the prestige of some of the fighters who have competed for the belt in years prior, but he feels he's cut from the same cloth as those in the past.
"I'm not getting this opportunity for no reason," Lopes said. "I think this BMF talk is nothing new, this is not something people started talking about two weeks ago with the rumors of the fight. This sis something people have been talking about for a long time. It's not me saying this, but a lot of people think I have the style, and I think that's what got me this opportunity."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Diego Lopes: BMF title shot vs. Charles Oliveira is 'perfect fight for me'