Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega finally met and the up-and-coming Brazilian continued his rise to the top of the featherweight division, with Lopes winning the fight by unanimous decision (30-27×2, 30-26).

There was never really any doubt about that.

After controlling the first round, Lopes continued to dominate the long-time featherweight contender. After nearly getting the win in the first round, Lopes came close again in the third round, but Ortega survived.

At the end of the fight, Ortega was heavily bloodied and his left leg was weakened by Lopes’ repeated kicks. The win was a huge achievement for Lopes, who had entered the fight as the number 12 ranked boxer, and Ortega, who was ranked number 3.

Lopes will be third when the new rankings are released on September 17. Given his recent success, Lopes’ next fight could be a shot at the UFC featherweight championship.

Diego Lopes’ last 5 results before beating Ortega

• Win against Dan Ige by unanimous decision at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024.
• Win against Sodiq Yusuff by KO/TKO (punches) at UFC 300 on April 13, 2024.
• Win against Pat Sabatini by KO/TKO (punches) at UFC 295 on November 11, 2023.
• Win against Gavin Tucker by submission (triangle armbar) at UFC Fight Night on August 5, 2023.
• Loss to Movsar Evloev by unanimous decision at UFC 288 on May 6, 2023.

The victory over Ortega was the biggest of his career and it would be logical for him to be the next challenger. However, things could get complicated in the 145-pound class.

Ilia Topuria will defend his title against Max Holloway at UFC 308. Long-time champion Alexander Volkanovski never got his rematch against Topuria and now seems to be waiting in the wings. Will Lopes get a shot at the title before Volkanovski can reclaim his title?

We’ll see.

Ortega’s last fight was probably at featherweight. He struggled up to 145 pounds and faced and lost to all the top fighters in the division.

Brian Ortega’s last results before the loss to Diego Lopes

• Win against Yair Rodriguez by submission (arm triangle) at UFC Fight Night on February 24, 2024.
• Loss against Yair Rodriguez by TKO (injury) at UFC Fight Night on July 16, 2022.
• Loss to Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision at UFC 266 on September 25, 2021.
• Win against Chan Sung Jung by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night on October 17, 2020.
• Loss against Max Holloway by TKO (doctor stopped) at UFC 231 on December 8, 2018.

If Ortega wants to continue his career, his next fights will likely be at lightweight, 155 pounds. Here’s a look at all the results from Noche UFC.

UFC 306 main card results

• Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili
• Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko
• Diego Lopes defeats Brian Ortega by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
• Esteban Ribovics defeats Daniel Zellhuber by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Ronaldo Rodriguez defeats Ode Osbourne by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)

UFC 306 Preliminary Card Results

• Norma Dumont defeats Irene Aldana by unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
• Ignacio Bahamondes defeats Manuel Torres by TKO at 4:02 in round 1
• Ketlen Souza defeats Yazmin Jauregui by submission after 3:02 in round 1 (rear-naked choke)
• Joshua Van defeats Edgar Chairez by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

UFC 306: Preliminary results of the card

• Raul Rosas Jr. defeats Aoriqileng by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)