Diego Lopes may have secured UFC 308 backup spot from Dana White: “We’d do anything for that guy”

Dana White likes what he has seen from Diego Lopes, and he might just give the rising 145-pounder a backup spot for the next UFC featherweight title fight.

Lopes was in action on the main card of UFC 306. It was a big opportunity for the Lobo Gym member, as he went up against the number three-ranked featherweight Brian Ortega. There will be a huge shift when it’s time to update the rankings, as Lopes, who had been ranked number 13, defeated “T-City” via unanimous decision.

After the fight, Lopes made sure to let White know that it’s his time to fight for UFC gold.

RELATED: PROS REACT AFTER DIEGO LOPES DEFEATS BRIAN ORTEGA AT UFC 306

Diego Lopes Could Be UFC 308 Backup Option

Dana White spoke to several reporters during the UFC 306 post-fight press conference. He revealed that Lopes might just slot in as the backup fighter for the planned featherweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway (via MMAJunkie.com).

“We’d do anything for that guy, even though he was screaming at me,” White said at the UFC 306 post-fight press conference. “I really like him, so yeah, he could be.

“Usually he’s really nice, but tonight he was screaming at me: ‘Give me my title shot. I get the title shot now,’” White said. “He was very angry tonight, he wasn’t the usual happy-go-lucky Diego Lopes. He was f*cking screaming at me, he was all fired up tonight.”

Given Lopes’ exciting fighting style and five-fight winning streak, he may have found himself in the good graces of the UFC brass. It also helps that Lopes is a fresh face in the featherweight division, which has been dominated by Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.

With the new guard rising, such as current 145-pound champion Topuria, some interesting matchups could be lined up in the featherweight division.