Diego Lopes expects to be in Alexa Grasso’s nook when she faces Valentina Shevchenko for a 3rd time for the UFC girls’s flyweight title at UFC 306 on Sept. 14, and that’s one other incentive for him to hunt a fast end in opposition to Brian Ortega earlier that evening.
Lopes and Ortega are scheduled to compete within the third bout of the primary card at The Sphere, with Grasso co-headlining the present proper earlier than Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili. Lopes hopes he can leaves the cage injury-free to be there for his teammate.
“We’ve got talked about this quite a bit, how we’re going to deal with this, as a result of I’ve been in her nook ever since she moved to 125 [pounds],” Lopes informed MMA Preventing. “We work collectively, we assist one another, I educate her and study from her, however we do not know what we’re going to do. I’ll battle my battle, after which comes Alexa. We all know how we come out of a battle, particularly figuring out how powerful Ortega is. It could possibly be a battle and we each may come out unhealthy. [Laughs.] However I’m centered. It’s additional motivation to come back out tremendous on this battle, to win rapidly and rush to the locker room, change garments and be in Alexa’s nook.”
Lopes mentioned he requested his staff to attempt to transfer his battle down the cardboard, however understands why it’s positioned as it’s. The Brazilian athlete is on a roll after successful 4 straight UFC bouts in just below 11 months in opposition to Gavin Tucker, Pat Sabatini, Sodiq Yusuff, and Dan Ige.
Ortega is a two-time title challenger who submitted Yair Rodriguez in his most up-to-date octagon look.
“I’d slightly battle early,” Lopes mentioned. “I even informed the fellows I might don’t have any downside being the primary battle of the evening, or two or three fights earlier than [Grasso], so I might be there together with her. However the place we’re on the cardboard speaks of the good work we’re doing. And we’ll even have out teammate Irene Aldana on the cardboard. It’s nice for our staff, having three fighters in one of the spectacular and well-produced playing cards within the UFC.”
Grasso can be anticipated to be cornered by Francisco Grasso, her uncle and head coach at Lobo Gymnasium, and Alessandro Costa, who competes every week earlier at UFC Vegas 97.
“We all know we are able to do unimaginable issues once we’re all 4 there,” Lopes mentioned. “We’ve performed unimaginable issues, and I’m additional motivated to win rapidly and run to the locker room and be in her nook as properly.”
Mexico’s Lobo Gymnasium has performed unimaginable issues within the UFC, certainly.
Aside from Lopes and flyweight champion Grasso, the staff has additionally led Aldana to a title shot in opposition to former 135-pound champion Amanda Nunes. Aldana beat Karol Rosa earlier this yr to rebound from that championship loss, and now faces Norma Dumont at UFC 306. Costa faces Matt Schnell on Sept. 7 after a bonus-winning knockout of Kevin Borjas at UFC 301 in Could, and Crazy Godinez continues to rise as a strawweight prospect regardless of stumbling in opposition to veterans Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern this previous yr.
Lopes was even nominated for Breakthrough Fighter of the Yr on the 2024 World MMA Awards, plus Submission of the Yr for his triangle armbar over Gavin Tucker. Lobo Gymnasium can be within the working for greatest fitness center and Coach of the Yr (Francisco Grasso).
“It’s unimaginable for us,” Lopes mentioned. “Not too way back folks have been leaving Mexico for different locations to evolve, however we’ve performed a wonderful work right here. Alexa gained 4 awards final yr coaching and evolving in Mexico, and now I’ve the glory of being nominated breakthrough fighter and in addition greatest submission. That goes to indicate the work we’ve performed right here as a staff.”
“Our staff is working in opposition to different groups which have larger identify and greater than 10 athletes within the UFC,” he continued. “We solely have 5 fighters within the UFC, and 4 of them are ranked — and our nice teammate Alessandro Costa is preventing the No. 12 ranked subsequent. Our coach has performed an incredible job.”
