MMA Knockout

Diego Lopes Outclasses Brian Ortega in UFC 306 Barn Burner

Diego Lopes beat Brian Ortega black and blue in their UFC 306 main card fight

Mathew Riddle

UFC

Diego Lopes mauled Brian Ortega in their three-round feature fight at Noche UFC 2 (UFC 306) at Sphere on September 14.

Ortega and Lopes were scheduled to fight once before at UFC 303 in June. Unfortunately, Ortega pulled out with an illness just hours before the fight was set to take place. Featherweight banger Dan Ige stepped in on short notice, and dropped a decision to Lopes. Now, the Lopes-Ortega saga has come to a definitive end at UFC 306.

Lopes outclassed Ortega across three rounds, outmuscling and outstriking 'T-City' for a unanimous decision win. Formerly the No. 12 featherweight fighter, Lopes is now looking to steal Ortega's No. 3 spot this time next week.

Round-by-round

Lopes came close to finishing the fight early in round one after hurting Ortega terribly with some slick counterstriking. He followed Ortega to the ground, giving him enough recovery time to see out the round.

Ortega found his groove in round two as Lopes slowed down. Despite this, Lopes still landed clean with his combination punches and a slick head kick, which Ortega ate. Additionally, Lopes landed plenty of calf kicks, one of which floored Ortega.

Entering round three, Ortega's left calf ballooned to the point where it buckled when he stepped on it. 'T-City' was down two rounds and needed a finish, but Lopes' car-crash striking was hard to overcome. A big right hand from Lopes bloodies Ortega's eye socket late in the round. Lopes floors a fleeing Ortega with a looping left hook, and the two fighters scrap until the final bell.

Lopes wins the fight: 30-26, 30-27 x2.

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.

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