Diego Lopes says he wants Justin Gaethje next, but only if the BMF title is on the line

Diego Lopes is floating a future fight picture with a clear condition: if Justin Gaethje is coming, Lopes wants it to be for the BMF title. The Brazilian lightweight has drawn attention ahead of UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he is scheduled to battle Charles Oliveira for the BMF Championship.

In interviews reported by Yahoo Sports, Lopes indicated that a matchup with Gaethje is his interest, but only under the right stakes. That matters because the BMF title has been marketed around high-volume rivalry and fan-facing intensity, and a Gaethje pairing would align with that branding. Lopes framed the question not as “who” but as “for what,” tying the opponent to the belt rather than to personal history alone.

UFC 335 is positioned as a major moment for the BMF division’s storyline. Oliveira enters with the title picture at stake, and Lopes arrives with a motivation that goes beyond merely winning a fight. Moving up in weight is also part of the context mentioned in the report, with Lopes described as heading into this matchup at lightweight for the first time in his current run.

The December card setting adds another layer. A lightweight fight for a specialty championship on a marquee pay-per-view-style date can change how fans and matchmakers view the division’s next wave. For Lopes, winning the BMF title would not only validate the move to lightweight, it would also establish him as a central figure in whatever comes next, including the kind of brawler-versus-elite competitor matchup that Gaethje represents.

Gaethje’s name carries instant meaning for the BMF conversation, even though the report does not indicate any formal agreement or booking. Lopes’s comments suggest a desire for the promotion to steer toward a matchup that is easy to understand for casual viewers, and hard to dismiss for serious fans. Still, until UFC confirms matchups through official channels, any “next opponent” talk remains an outline of intention rather than a timeline.

For now, the immediate focus is straightforward. On Dec. 12, Lopes’s path runs through Oliveira and the BMF Championship. If Lopes is successful, the door he is opening with his Gaethje interest becomes more plausible, because a BMF titleholder typically becomes the center of gravity for future negotiations. If not, the storyline likely shifts back to where Lopes fits in the lightweight pecking order after a failed attempt at a title he says he wants to define.