“He’ll Benefit From It” – Dana White’s Unexpected Move Has Fans in Disbelief as Diego Lopes Declines CEO’s Move Before UFC 303

It’s safe to say that the last few weeks have been wild for the UFC. With so many changes in the UFC 303 card, we almost did not get a co-main event due to Brian Ortega‘s last-minute pullout. But guess what? Ortega’s opponent Diego Lopes, who went on to fight Dan Ige in a catchweight bout, actually had the choice to take home a paycheck even if he hadn’t fought, as per his revelation, and the fans couldn’t believe that Dana White would actually do that.

Diego Lopes went on a rollercoaster ride in the last 48 hours or so, and he shared a tweet regarding it. He summed up the wild turn of events that took place one after the other, before finally entering the Octagon after Hunter Campbell reached out to Dan Ige to fight in the co-main event, hence saving the UFC 303.

“I’ll just summarize the madness that it all was. I accept the fight with 2 weeks to fight with number 3 . change of category, 145,155, 165lbs . 3 hours before the event, they change my opponent, someone who had a 3 month camp without cutting weight,” tweeted Diego Lopes.

“UFC gave us the option to not accept. I could have gotten paid without fighting. I could have said no to the fight. I was weighing 161lbs. but like I said. anyone, anytime, anywhere. In whatever weight,” the 29-year-old further added. But how did the fans react? While the viewers were surprised, to say the least, they believed that taking the Ige fight could help Diego Lopes in the future.

Fans predict preferential treatment for Diego Lopes from Dana White in the future

The fact that UFC 303 was in turmoil did not just affect Dana White & Co. It also affected the fans who paid their hard-earned money to watch their favorite fighters compete. Even though Conor McGregor’s exclusion was a big blow, the fact that Deigo Lopes competed against Dan Ige with no questions asked, made the Brazilian fans’ favorite. While one fan stated, “Need more fighters like that,” another stated, “Already loved Diego but now I am a even bigger fan.” One more user on X claimed, “Lopes is for the people.”

Furthermore, some fans also added that fighters like Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and fighters of that caliber may not necessarily be their favorites. It’s only because they never risk it like Diego Lopes has, and that is the kind of fighter they like to follow. And taking such risks, fans believe, has added the Brazilian into the good books of Dana White. The fans added, “It’s these fighters that usually become my favorite fighters. Not ones who never lose. The ashes to glory saga is just so much more satisfying for me,” “That’s good in Dana’s eyes he’ll get benefit from it in the future,” and, “He cemented his future doing this.”

But guess what? It seems like there are quite a few negative nancies on social media. They just couldn’t comprehend nor accept the fact that the UFC was ready to accommodate Diego Lopes. This could have been because of various fighters coming out to talk about low fighter pay in the promotion. “Don’t believe the “getting paid” part Dana and the ufc never pay without fighting They’re very strict about this,” an X user added.

What do you make of Deigo Lopes’ revelation? Have you become a fan after he decided to compete at UFC 303 even though his fight plans were in shambles? Let us know in the comments down below.