Dana White’s Desperate Attempts for Diego Lopes Exposed Amid UFC 320 Debacle

When Diego Lopes fought Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314, he earned respect, even in defeat. Five rounds with one of the featherweight division’s greatest? That’s no small feat, even if he walked away without securing the title. Yet, he kept his head high and was looking forward to his return. And with ‘Noche UFC’ on the horizon, all eyes were on a possible matchup between him and his nemesis, Yair Rodriguez.

Fast forward to June, and chaos has struck the UFC calendar. UFC 320, initially slated for Guadalajara as the third grand Noche UFC celebration, crumbled under delays at the hands of the venue. What was left behind? A reshuffled Fight Night in San Antonio on the original September 13 date, and a gaping hole in the card. Who was willing to step in? According to Lopes, he raised his hand every time Dana White and the UFC brass called!

Diego Lopes sheds light on multiple offers that were put on the table by the UFC and Dana White for his return to action

In a post on Instagram shared by ‘Championship Rounds’, Diego Lopes peeled back the curtain on what’s really going on as he was quoted as stating, “After the fight against Volk, the UFC contacted me asking how my health was. I told them all the recommendations the doctors gave me. That I would be ready to fight in September.”

So, what did the UFC matchmakers have to offer to the no.2 ranked featherweight? Lopes revealed, “They offered Aaron Pico, I said yes. Two days later, they offered me Jean Silva, I said yes. When the UFC moved Noche UFC to San Antonio, [they offered me] Yair Rodriguez, I said yes.”

Lopes said yes every time. No matter who the opponent in front of him. Yet, he still doesn’t have a fight lined up. According to the Brazilian, “I also suggested offering the fight against Movsar or Lerone. If you have any doubts, ask Dana, Hunter, or Sean if I’ve ever turned down a fight.”

And so, none of the fights came through. The matchmakers tried to plug him into multiple matchups, clearly relying on his willingness to save their card, as evidenced by Lopes’ statements. But somehow, nothing stuck. Was it politics? Opponent refusals? Or simply bad timing? It’s hard to tell.

Meanwhile, UFC 320 has been rescheduled as a proper PPV in Las Vegas. The San Antonio show? Still without a marquee fight. The whole debacle has fans questioning the promotion’s planning and whether Dana White has run out of backup plans.

Diego Lopes may not have gotten a fight. But he made one thing crystal clear: the UFC asked him to step up, again and again. And he never once said no. But one question still lingers, what happened to Diego Lopes vs. Yair Rodriguez?

Yair Rodriguez fires off at Lopes as he offers up Jean Silva fight instead

The heat between Lopes and Rodriguez started at the UFC 314 press conference (or earlier, if you consider the incident involving Marco Beltran). Tensions flared, words flew, and both men left the stage with a score to settle. But the grudge match still remains unconfirmed. Why? According to Lopes on X, “Hey, Yair Rodríguez, I just realized that you received a call from Hunter [Campbell] and refused to fight me at Noche UFC,” questioning where the same energy from their press conference altercation disappeared.

Rodriguez, though, wasn’t having it. Hours later, he posted a video with a fiery rebuttal. ‘El Pantera’ stated, “When I had the opportunity to fight Diego, he said no because I was coming off a loss. Now he’s coming off a loss and wants to fight me. That doesn’t make sense to me.”

In his words, the fight “doesn’t put me in a better position.” He even said he’d rather fight Lopes in the street than inside the Octagon. Rodriguez also revealed deeper issues, visa complications, injury concerns, and the looming possibility of surgery. The no.4 ranked featherweight insisted he wasn’t dodging the fight, just prioritizing recovery.

But then came the twist. Instead of shutting things down, Rodriguez pointed the spotlight elsewhere as he stated, “For now, I’d like to see Diego stop running away from Jean Silva and go take a swing at him.”

So here we are with Diego Lopes, the fighter who said yes to everyone, left waiting in the wings. Yair Rodriguez, once the loudest voice in the room, is now calling the matchup pointless. And Dana White? Caught in the middle of a scheduling mess, scrambling for a main event to anchor a card that’s lost its spark.

What was meant to be a defining night for Mexican MMA has become a case study of missed opportunities. The UFC tried to patch together a solution, and Lopes was ready to be that fix. But without willing opponents, or perhaps without a clear promotional direction, the fight never materialized. Now the MMA sphere is left asking, will Lopes vs. Rodriguez ever happen, or will it remain a tantalizing ‘what if’? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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