Mateuz Gamrot took aim at several fighters following his latest win in the octagon, but there was one he specifically honed in on: former UFC featherweight title challenger Diego Lopes.
After submitting Esteban Ribovics at Saturday’s UFC 327 in Miami, Gamrot (26-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) got on the mic and made it very clear that he’d be more than willing to welcome Lopes (27-8 MMA, 6-3 UFC) to the lightweight division. Lopes, who’s eyeing a future move up to 155 pounds, heard Gamrot’s message loud and clear.
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“I saw the comments after the fact. I didn’t see the fight and the event because I was busy with other things,” Lopes told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “When I got on Instagram, I saw that UFC Europe had posted the callout, and I also got comments on Twitter and all that. Honestly, it’s interesting. It’s interesting because I’ve talked about my desire to move up to 155 pounds. I don’t want to say unfortunately, but for now, the UFC is keeping me at 145 pounds. But definitely, yeah, if the UFC gives me a chance to move up to 155 pounds, Mateusz is definitely a good fight. I think it’s a tough test for me at 155 pounds, and winning it would put me in a really good spot since he’s fought the best of the division.”
Lopes is scheduled to fight Steve Garcia in a featherweight bout on June 14 at UFC Freedom Fights 250 at the White House in Washington D.C. He’s expressed his interest of moving up to lightweight to the UFC, but they still booked him to fight at 145 pounds. The Brazilian is hoping to get his wish to move up this year as he looks to stay busy and compete in both weight classes.
With plans to compete at lightweight, Lopes has been keeping an eye at potential future opponents, and Gmarot has been one of them.
“He’s had important fights in his career, and he’s been at the top for a while,” Lopes said analyzing Gamrot. “I generally keep an eye on the fights that could be in my future. I’ve expressed my interest in fighting at 155, so I need to know who’s there in the rankings. I think he’s ranked No. 8 or 7, and I think it would definitely be a good fight for me. Despite his style, it’s a good fight for me.”
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Callouts can often start a rivalry or a personal spark between fighters. However, Lopes felt Gamrot was respectful in his challenge, and didn’t mind the callout at UFC 327.
“He did it in a very respectful way, like, ‘If he wants to move up to the division, here I am.’ I don’t think it’s calling me out, but more of making himself available,” Lopes said. “There are others who do it much more differently in an arrogant way, an ignorant way. Even that doesn’t bother me, but I just don’t make much of it. But yeah, it didn’t bother me.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Diego Lopes responds to Mateusz Gamrot’s callout at UFC 327
