At some point, Diego Lopes might have had the leverage to pick and choose opponents who could have propelled him toward a title fight. But two losses to Alexander Volkanovski have stripped Lopes of that leverage, something he knows all too well. Days ahead of his next fight with Steve Garcia, Lopes revealed he accepted the matchup just two days before the UFC announced the Freedom 250 card in March. Though he doesn’t mind the fight itself, the 31-year-old admitted that his recent two losses to the champion have left him with no choice but to say ‘yes to every fight’ the UFC throws his way.

“I don’t have a choice,” Lopes told Ariel Helwani. “UFC called me two days before announcing the card and say, ‘Hey, maybe you fight with Steve Garcia,’ but UFC never said it would be at the White House. I just said, ‘Yeah, don’t worry.’ The people know me, I accept all fights. Two days later, at the Max [Holloway] vs. [Charles] Oliveira card, they start showing the fights, and I saw my name. I said, ‘Ok, cool, one more fight.’

“I thought maybe September at Noche UFC. This was in my mind at this time. Now I make history because I have fights on important cards. I just lost my second chance at the title, so I don’t have a lot of choices. I like to say yes for every fight the UFC offers me.”

Criticized by fans and analysts alike for potentially receiving preferential treatment, i.e., the “Dana White privilege,” after the Brazilian-Mexican got a second title shot earlier this year after dropping his last one just a year ago, he is not really in the same place with the promotion he was a few months ago. As such, Diego Lopes understands that he is in a very tricky position in the featherweight division at the moment.

Before UFC 325, experts like Dan Hardy pointed out that if the Manaus native lost to Alexander Volkanovski for a second time, it would hurt his next title run. Well, after Lopes ultimately fell short against ‘The Great’ in Sydney once again, that premonition rang true as his path to championship contention now demands a long journey back.

Despite being ranked No.2 in the featherweight rankings, Lopes, as a seasoned contender, definitely understands that reality. As a result, he is no longer reluctant to accept any fight the UFC puts in front of him. Even if he defeats the No. 9-ranked Steve Garcia at UFC White House, who is on a seven-fight win streak, there are still multiple contenders he would have to defeat, like Aljamain Sterling, Lerone Murphy, and even a grudge match against Yair Rodriguez, before he can realistically start thinking about another shot at the belt.

However, it remains highly unlikely that the UFC would want to book him against Volkanovski, who’s now almost set to fight the No.1-ranked Movsar Evloev.

Now, it is quite evident that Diego Lopes has a long road ahead of him. Still, the Brazilian-Mexican has a different idea, one he believes could be a more realistic route toward fulfilling his championship ambitions.

Diego Lopes plots lightweight move ahead of UFC White House fight   

As Diego Lopes prepares for his next featherweight showdown against Steve Garcia, part of his focus is already evaluating the options available to him at 145 lbs. If the path to gold remains long and uncertain, the 31-year-old does not mind making a move to the lightweight division after his next fight.

“I fight two times for the belt,” Lopes told MMA Junkie. “I don’t know how many fights I need to fight for it again so I just want to fight. If the division is stuck now, my goal now is to win this fight, talk with the UFC, check who’s the plan. If the UFC say to me, ‘Hey, maybe we don’t have a good fight for you now at 145,’ okay, ‘Send me one guy at 155.’ I can take this shot, I don’t worry, I just want to keep fighting.”

For those unaware, Lopes previously volunteered to fight Charles Oliveira in a lightweight bout at UFC Rio last year after the original opponent, Rafael Fiziev, withdrew from the bout. Although the move came as a surprise, many believed Lopes would have been a good fit for the 155-pound division because of his frame. However, the UFC did not entertain the idea and instead replaced Fiziev with Mateusz Gamrot.

With Diego Lopes currently facing uncertainty regarding his future, his next move may depend on how he performs against Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250. If he can make a statement on June 14, there is a chance he remains in the featherweight division and patiently waits for another opportunity to fight for the championship. If not, the lightweight division will always remain an avenue worth exploring.