Movsar Evloev Explains Why Diego Lopes Could Do Better at 155 Pounds
Movsar Evloev believes a former UFC featherweight title challenger, whom he beat in 2023, will find more success in the lightweight division.
While talking to MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn ahead of UFC 333, Evloev was asked whether Diego Lopes, who has moved up and will challenge BMF titleholder Charles Oliveira at UFC 335, could perform better.
The undefeated Russian fighter not only seconded the move but also added that since Lopes is “huge,” he could be “more effective” as a 155-pounder. Evloev said:
“Maybe he [Lopes] will be more effective in lightweight. He’s huge, and carrying too much weight sometimes pulls you back. You cannot show all you’ve got, and that actually happened to me when I fought the first time in UFC. It was my first time when I fought at 145. Before that, I fought at 135 [pounds], and I started to feel much better when I moved up. Because you’re getting bigger, you gain more muscles, and every fight is harder to cut, harder to recover well, so this will bother you a little while fighting.” [h/t: MMA Junkie]
Lopes fought twice for the featherweight title and failed to win the belt in both outings against “The Great” Alexander Volkanovski. Staying at 145 pounds and waiting for another championship opportunity wasn’t the smarter move and could have halted/delayed his dreams of becoming a UFC champ. Hence, he decided to move up, and on his 155-pound debut, he will now have the chance to capture the BMF strap.
However, if the UFC brass call him for a No. 1 contender bout at FW down the line, he’s game to move down.
Evloev, on the other hand, fights current and two-time featherweight titleholder Volkanovski this weekend in the main event of UFC 333.
Diego Lopes wants to ‘feel his power, strength, and conditioning’ at 155
Diego Lopes has not confirmed whether his move to lightweight is permanent. Rather than deciding whether to remain at 155 pounds for the rest of his career or return to featherweight, he wants to see how his body performs and how much power he carries at the new weight class before making a decision. About the same, he told Ariel Helwani:
“I think it depends. I want to feel my body. I want to feel my power, my strength, and my conditioning at 155. After this fight, I’m going to check if I can keep fighting at 155 or if I can go back to 145.
Now I’m coming back and fighting at 155. I can do more things—I can drink more, take supplements, take creatine, and lift weights. So I think that’s the big difference now.”
Check out Diego Lopes’ comments below: