Diego Lopes and Yair Rodriguez had some heated altercations in the course of the ultimate press convention previous to UFC 314 in April, and it seems the promotion was aiming to e-book them up for a featherweight conflict at this 12 months’s Noche UFC occasion.
UFC 320, also called Noche UFC 3, was anticipated to happen in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sept. 13. Nonetheless, attributable to constructions delays with the Guadalajara venue, UFC 320 was moved to Oct. 4 in Las Vegas and the Sept. 13 Noche UFC occasion is now set for San Antonio. On Sunday, Lopes claimed in a social media publish that Rodriguez turned down a proposal to face him on the Sept. 13 present.
“Hey, Yair Rodríguez, I simply realized that you just acquired a name from Hunter [Campbell] and refused to struggle me at Noche UFC,” Lopes wrote in Spanish. “The place is the person who was in entrance of me on the press convention?”
Lopes was days away from difficult Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant title, a struggle he misplaced by way of choice. Rodriguez defeated former Bellator two-division champion Patricio Pitbull on that very same card and hoped he could be subsequent for Volkanovski.
Rodriguez launched a video hours after Lopes’ feedback with a response, by which he confirmed he was approached with a proposal and defined why “that doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Proper now I’m on the best way to assist Ignacio Bajamondes in his subsequent struggle, I’m heading to Baku,” Rodriguez mentioned, “and nicely, as all the time, this rattling sport is actually exhausting, truthfully. I’d like it—I actually would like it—if issues had been a bit totally different, as a result of the whole lot has changed into a circus. Truthfully. I noticed someplace that {that a}****** Diego Lopes is saying I don’t wish to struggle him, and that’s completely not the case. Truthfully, I used to be a bit of dissatisfied with the UFC for the truth that they supplied me a struggle with him as a result of yeah, they did lately supply me that struggle.
“Let’s rewind a bit. What occurred? After I had the chance to struggle Diego, he mentioned no as a result of I used to be coming off a loss. Now he’s coming off a loss and desires to struggle me. That doesn’t make sense to me. That’s one factor. One other factor is, clearly, I’ve acquired no downside preventing him. Should you ask me, I’d fairly struggle him within the rattling road, as a result of for me, a struggle with him within the firm doesn’t do something. They’re not going to pay me extra. It doesn’t do a rattling factor. It doesn’t put me in a greater place both as a result of he’s coming off a loss.”
On high of that, Rodriguez, a one-time UFC interim featherweight titleholder, revealed he must renew his visa to enter the USA, and in addition take care of an harm for which a physician really useful surgical procedure.
“Clearly, I’m doing the whole lot I can to keep away from that being the case,” Rodriguez mentioned. “However hey, we’ll see the place this complete state of affairs takes me—to make clear, that’s my place. I haven’t turned down the struggle. Quite the opposite, I’d be more than pleased to struggle this little piece of shit and his complete shitty group that’s sitting round over there. And that’s it, proper? Simply need folks to grasp my place, as a result of clearly they’re beginning to go on the assault, and nicely—as all the time—attacking somebody once they’re down, once they’re damage, is actual simple. Proper? However anyway, that’s that. I’m going to first test on my well being, see if I can keep away from surgical procedure as a lot as attainable. If not, nicely, I’ll need to undergo with it.”
Within the meantime, Rodriguez suggested Lopes to e-book a struggle with rising featherweight sensation Jean Silva, who destroyed Bryce Mitchell on the identical card in Miami.
“For now, I’d prefer to see Diego cease operating away from Jean Silva and go take a swing at him,” Rodriguez mentioned. “If he’s so looking forward to a struggle, then go throw down with Jean Silva, as a result of it appears like he’s ducking him. And nicely, I’m nonetheless right here. Ready to see what they inform me.”
Lopes fired again with one other publish on social media moments later, debunking the declare that he has turned down a earlier UFC struggle with the Mexican star.
“What a silly factor to say I refused to struggle,” Lopes wrote on Instagram Tales. “The struggle was already scheduled to be the primary occasion of UFC Mexico in February. I had accepted, whilst you had been simply going round in circles. The UFC modified plans and known as me to struggle for the title. Combating on the street? No, bro, I don’t advocate that. I’m too calm as a result of I do know what I’m able to. It’s higher to have a referee concerned.”
