Diego Lopes will kick off the UFC White House card in a high-stakes featherweight clash against Steve Garcia in the opening bout.
Lopes returns after a decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski in their rematch for the featherweight title at UFC 325 at the beginning of the year. The two-time recent featherweight title challenger now meets Garcia, who rides a seven-fight win streak and is coming off a first-round knockout of David Onama in his first UFC headliner at UFC Vegas 110 this past November.
“Steve Garcia, now he’s in a great position too,” Lopes said while sizing up his opponent. Reflecting on his own path, he added, “This happened with me before I come to the top-five. I had the opportunity to fight for the No. 3 guy. [That] time it was with Brian Ortega, and I know the motivation for proving to stay in the top-five. I know he now has a lot of [hunger] to prove this. I know he has a lot of confidence in himself — seven straight wins, six knockouts.”
Lopes believes his experience will be a key factor. “Yeah, I think [experience], it’s a big deal for me,” he said. “It’s a big factor, and think it’s the big difference for this fight. I have the experience for fighting for my position in the UFC, I have the experience for fighting for the belt.”
Looking ahead to fight night, Lopes kept it simple: “So I have this whole experience for in the cage. I know the things I need to do for taking the fight, for taking the win.”
