Diego Lopes is now just hours out from the biggest fight of his career thus far, hoping to become the next UFC featherweight champion.
At UFC 314 on Saturday night in Miami, Diego Lopes looks to continue his extremely impressive run in the UFC when he takes on Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant featherweight title.
Despite ‘The Great’ Volkanovski being his opponent, Lopes clashed with Yair Rodriguez at the press conference this past Thursday, adding another storyline to the event.
Lopes is hoping to hand Volkanovski his third loss in a row, which would surely send the 36-year-old closer to retirement considering how the back-end of his career has gone.
Lopes breaks down in tears following surprise ahead of UFC 314
Just a few hours out from the biggest fight of his career thus far, Lopes got a wholesome surprise as he broke down in tears, talking about how much his title win would mean to his family.
At the beginning of his MMA career, Lopes left his family in Brazil and told them that he wouldn’t return to Mexico until he could provide a better life for them.
“Like, I don’t have anyone, you know?” Lopes broke down in tears whilst talking about his UFC 314 fight.
“I’d give anything to leave the Octagon with a win and hug my mother and father, but I won’t be able to,” he continued.
“Hi, my son. I hope that when you watch this video, it’s motivation for you, right? May God be with you at this time. And you know you are very special, I love you,” his mother said in a video sent to Lopes.
“I’m grateful on how far you’ve come, my son. For me, it’s success,” his father added.
“May this fight be a war, but in the end the belt will be ours. I used to say that one day I was going to see you, fighting for the belt,” another family member said.
The wholesome video continued for another minute and a half as more of Lopes’ family members offered words of support from afar.
“Do you have a tissue? It’s great to know that there are so many people who support me, especially my family. I left them 11 years ago, when I left my home. I remember I was very clear with my mother, with my father, with my brothers, that I was only going to come home one day when I could give them a better life,” Lopes continued as he shed more tears.
Drake places huge bet on UFC 314 main event
Although it has no measurable merit, Lopes could’ve been handed a big boost in the UFC 314 main event, after Drake placed a huge bet and his first UFC bet of the year.
In the UFC world, it has become well known that the ‘Drake Curse’ has continuously resulted in UFC stars losing their fights.
Ahead of the huge event in Miami, Drake placed a staggering $545,000 bet on Volkanovski to reclaim his title, potentially cursing the Australian star.
