Diego Lopes says he’s UFC 308 backup fighter for Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway

A top featherweight contender says he’s been picked by the promotion to serve as a backup fighter for an upcoming pay-per-view.

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] announced Friday on Instagram that he’ll serve as the Oct. 26 backup fighter for the UFC 308 title fight between champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]. The event takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

“Officially back up for the fight on October 26th,” Lopes wrote in a collaboration post with his management Iridium Sports Agency. “See you in Abu Dhabi ”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAcFvDLti0i/

Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has emerged as a budding star for the UFC less than 17 months into his promotional tenure. A short-notice debut loss to Movsar Evloev immediately gained Lopes a ton of fans for putting forth a competitive outing against one of the division’s best fighters. Since then, he’s defeated Gavin Tucker, Pat Sabatini, Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Ige, and most recently Brian Ortega, in succession to clinch a backup fighter role.

Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) aims to defend the title for the first time since winning it vs. Alexander Volkanovski. Meanwhile, Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC) bids to hold gold once again after a three-fight winning streak that includes Arnold Allen, Chan Sung Jung, and Justin Gaethje.