Diego Lopes believes he has worked hard enough to earn his second title shot.
Lopes is scheduled to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title in a rematch at UFC 325 on Jan. 31 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The matchup has faced severe backlash from fans, as Volkanovski just beat Lopes this past April.
Meanwhile, undefeated contenders Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy were widely considered frontrunners in the race for a title shot. Several fighters expressed their disappointment with Evloev and Murphy’s title shot snub.