Former interim UFC featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez isn’t happy with Diego Lopes garnering support from two nations.
Yair Rodriguez and Diego Lopes are two of the most dangerous featherweights on the UFC roster, as both fighters share a card at UFC 314 this Saturday. Rodriguez welcomes UFC debutant Patricio ‘Pitbull’ to the Octagon, while Lopes will fight in his first UFC headliner against Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant featherweight title.
Rodriguez and Lopes have a few things in common during their rises to UFC stardom. Both fighters celebrate Mexican heritage and culture, as Lopes trains in Guadalajara while Rodriguez trains in the United States.
Lopes, who was born in Brazil, is considered one of Mexico’s biggest stars despite being a native Brazilian. Rodriguez is intensely bothered by this and believes Lopes is creating a false narrative.
Yair Rodriguez questions Diego Lopes’s support from Mexican fans ahead of UFC 314
Rodriguez’s rise to interim titleholder, with plenty of highlight-reel knockouts and big moments, has come with the Mexican flag on his back. Since his UFC debut in 2014, Rodriguez has been one of the UFC’s top Mexican talents, and a big reason for the continued growth of MMA in Mexico and the new Performance Institute in the country.
After the blood, sweat, and tears Rodriguez has exuded for Mexico during his fighting career, he’s frustrated about Lopes being considered a Mexican UFC star.
During his UFC 314 media day press conference, Rodriguez explained why Lopes’s connection to Mexican culture rubs him the wrong way.
“Yes, I have a problem with that, not with Diego,” Rodriguez said. “He’s just doing his job with what he’s doing right now, but my problem is, what’s up with people? I understand he’s great, he’s exciting, and you know he’s doing his job, but I just don’t agree with it. I will never be that way and don’t want to be that way. If he’s doing it, good for him. If people want to see him as Mexican, I don’t have a problem with that.
“I’ve been killing myself for years for my country. If they decide to go with him, the moment with have to fight or face each other, that’s on them. I’ve been doing all the things to represent my country.
“I have bled for my country, I have cried for my country, I’ve hugged the flag. I can’t be more proud of being Mexican.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
As of this writing, Lopes hasn’t responded to Rodriguez’s remarks. The two featherweights were rumored to fight earlier this year, but a matchup didn’t come to fruition.
Diego Lopes indulged in junk food just days before UFC 314 headliner
In the buildup to UFC 314, Lopes is enjoying the fight week atmosphere and the fruits of his labor in camp. Lopes enjoyed some pizza with his team just days out from UFC 314, prompting a strong response from fans on social media.
Lopes’s questionable dietary habits ahead of UFC 314 might point to supreme confidence ahead of the Volkanovski matchup. He has plenty of reasons to feel that way, especially after recent victories over Brian Ortega and Dan Ige.
Lopes’s UFC career began by nearly handing Movsar Evloev his first defeat at UFC 288 in a days’ notice promotional debut. Lopes could potentially run it back with Evloev after UFC 314, as he’s hinted in the pre-fight buildup.
