Dan Ige can say he went the distance with a top-3 contender on a few hours’ notice. Talk about a feat.
Of course, Diego Lopes didn’t start at the very top with the Brazilian working his way up the ladder, losing to Movsar Evloev in his debut last year but stringing together five-straight wins in the UFC’s featherweight division, three of which took place this year.
Sodiq Yusuff and Brian Ortega collided with Lopes along with Ige in the middle, their matchup coming together on a few hours notice after Ortega withdrew from their first scheduled booking at UFC 303 in June. Ige had a much better fight than Ortega did against Lopes, with the former title challenger dropping down to the canvas several times, nearly being finished.
Ige Reacts To Lopes Beating Ortega
Lopes simply looked better than ever, winning by unanimous decision and a new #3 ranking, receiving his flowers from many, including his former foe Ige.
“I thought he made it look easy,” Ige told Middle Easy. “Nothing’s easy, but the way he went out there, he hurt Brian early. Anyone could say, ‘Yeah, he could’ve finished him…’ but, you know, he took a risk. I think he wanted to make a point.
I think he wanted to try to submit him just to prove a point, but that costed him and then he had to go through a 3 round fight. But, for the most part, he dominated.He looked really good in every aspect of the stand-up and the grappling. And, yeah, he’s a hard hitter, man.”
Lopes Fight A Confidence Boost For Ige
Just how hard does the Brazilian with Mexican heart hit? Well, not hard enough to put Ige down, but then again, the fighting Hawaiians like him and Max Holloway are notorious for their chins. But, there’s a thing or two to take away for Ige, sharing 15 minutes in the Octagon with Lopes whereas others don’t tend to get that far.
“I felt his power when I was in there with him,” Ige said of Lopes. “But if anything, it just gives me more confidence. He’s number 3 now and to be able to fight a guy like that on short notice, literally 3 hours notice and not actually game-plan for someone like that and still do [good], still have moments in the fight, you know, it just gives me confidence in anything else.”
A close and competitive fight through and through, Ige took round 3 on all the judges’ scorecards but lost in the end, by unanimous decision.
Prediction For Topuria vs. Holloway
“50K” Dan Ige will look to bounce back from his International Fight week loss when he returns at UFC 308 on Oct. 26 against Lerone Murphy. Ige isn’t the only Hawaiian fighting on the card, joined by BMF Champion Max Holloway as he sets out on his quest to become a featherweight champion once again, this time vs. Ilia Topuria.
“I got Max Holloway,” Ige said of his prediction for the UFC 308 main event. “He’s really good. So is Topuria but I think Max is is gonna get it.”
Ige Wants To Prove ‘I’m One Of The Best As Well’
As for Ige, he’s looking forward to an important fight himself against rising contender Murphy further down the undercard.
“It’s an important fight for both of us,” Ige said. “It’s an important fight for Lerone because… look at some of the top guys that I fought. If they get past me, they’re usually moving on to a top five or a title shot. You look at [The Korean] Zombie, he fought for the title. [Josh] Emmett fought for the interim title. [Diego] Lopes, he’s number 3 now.
All these guys, if, when they beat me – they’re going into the highest level of the division. For me, this is just my opportunity to get back, climb the ladder, and prove that I’m one of the best as well.”
Watch Dan Ige’s full interview with Middle Easy’s James Lynch below.
