Joanderson Brito was the first man to defeat Diego Lopes inside the octagon, when both clashed for a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2021. Since then, Brito watched Lopes skyrocket to the top of the featherweight division with what he sees as the benefit of a promotional push.
Brito defeated Lopes via technical decision - 29-28 on all scorecards - after an unintentional eye poke left Lopes unable to continue in the final round. Brito was awarded a UFC deal and later lost his debut against Bill Algeo, but he has rebounded with five straight UFC finishes, including wins over Andre Fili and Jack Shore. Lopes went 2-1 on the regional circuit to finally earn a shot in the UFC, stepping in on less than a week’s notice to fight Movsar Evloev at UFC 288.
Although Brito thinks Lopes “is very tough,” he doesn’t see his fellow Brazilian beating 145-pound champion Ilia Topuria.
“The way the UFC is booking him, it’s possible that he fights for the title,” Brito said in an interview with MMA Fighting, “But if you really put him against [Max] Holloway, Arnold Allen or even Movsar Evloev, it will make his run difficult. But the UFC doesn’t want that for him. It’s all about wanting or not, right?”
Lopes has won five in a row since losing to Evloev, going 3-0 alone this year against Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Ige, and Brian Ortega. Brito reenters the cage Saturday to face William Gomis on the main card portion of UFC Paris.
“Even if I win, and I will win before the end of the second round, I honestly don’t think they’ll do this [Lopes rematch],” Brito said. “Everybody knows what will happen [at UFC Paris]. I know, you know. Even Gomis knows. When it happens, [Gomis] will realize he wasn’t ready for this. But even then, even after I win another one, UFC won’t give me Diego. I’ve seen that happen many times before in the UFC, but sooner or later, this fight will happen if he stays on top. If he continues winning, this fight will happen, because I know I’ll get there. It’s a matter of time.”
Brito said he would beat the undefeated Topuria “at any moment,” but doesn’t feel Lopes can do the same. “Tubarão,” however, doesn’t expect Topuria to be holding UFC gold after he faces Holloway next month at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi.
“I think Holloway is the toughest featherweight today because of his chin,” Brito said. “He can get hit. Other than him, I see Movsar Evloev as a tough guy because he doesn’t fight, he just hangs in there to win by points. Other than him, I see no one else.”
Brito called out Dan Ige multiple times in the past and was finally paired up against him earlier this year before withdrawing from the match with a leg injury. He also targeted Brian Ortega following his UFC 301 victory over Shore in May. With Lopes defeating both featherweights in June and September, Brito has moved on from those callouts.
“If you lose to Lopes, it makes no sense to me anymore,” Brito said. “I plan on asking for Yair Rodriguez. I don’t know how the UFC sees this fight, but that’s one I’d like to do. He’s been in the top 5 for a long time and this fight makes a lot of sense right now. It would be very good for me.”
“Many people say I should fight someone ranked [instead of Gomis], that I should have done this or that, but in the end, the most important of all is money in the bank,” he continued. “It’s not my fault. I’m calling out ranked fighters for a long time. I let my fights do the talking. I’ve won five in a row, all by finish, but the UFC isn’t giving me the opportunity. I don’t know what else I’ve got to do, but I don’t lose sleep over this. I just need to fight, and I hope I can fight one more before the end of the year. It’s all about timing. Some guys just got here and have all the hype, but honestly, I don’t care about any of that. I just need to fight.”
