Diego Lopez and Eare Rodriguez had several heated arguments at their final press conference before UFC 314 in April. It appears that the promotion was aiming to book them for a featherweight clash at this year’s Noche UFC event.
UFC 320, also known as Noche UFC 3, was scheduled to take place on September 13th in Guadalajara, Mexico. However, due to delays in construction with the Guadalajara venue, UFC 320 will move to Las Vegas on October 4th, with the Noche UFC event on September 13th set for San Antonio. On Sunday, Lopez claimed in a social media post that Rodriguez had declined an offer to face him on the September 13 show.
“Hey, Yair Rodríguez, I realized you received a call from Hunter (Campbell) and refused to fight me at the Nosh UFC,” Lopez wrote in Spanish. “Where was the man in front of me at the press conference?”
Lopez was a few days away from challenging Alexander Volkanovsky for the vacant title. Rodriguez was hoping to see Volkanovski’s next after defeating former Bellator two-division champion Patricio Pitbull on the same card.
Rodriguez released the video with a response hours after Lopez’s comments. He confirmed that he was approached with the offer and explained why “that’s not meaningful to me.”
“Now I’m on my way to support Ignacio Bajamondes in his next fight. I’m heading for Baku,” Rodriguez said. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with the UFC. The fact that they offered me a fight with him.
“Let’s rewind a bit. What happened? When I had the opportunity to fight Diego, he said no because I lost. Now he wants to fight me. That doesn’t make sense to me. That’s one thing. Obviously, if I fight him, if I ask him, I’ll ask him. I’m not putting me in a better position either because he’s reducing my losses.”
In addition to that, Rodriguez, the interim UFC featherweight title holder, revealed that he would need to renew his visa to enter the US, and also addressed injuries that doctors recommended surgery.
“Obviously, I’m doing everything I can to avoid that,” Rodriguez said. “But to make it clear where this whole situation is taking me, that’s my position. I didn’t turn down a fight. On the contrary, I’m happy to fight this little shit and his whole shitty team. It’s going to be my health first.
In the meantime, Rodriguez advised Lopez to book a fight with featherweight-sensible Jean Silva, who destroyed Blythe Mitchell on the same card in Miami.
“For now, I want to see Diego stop running away from Jean Silva and swing towards him,” Rodriguez said. “If he’s eager to fight, throw it away with Jean Silva because it looks like he’s ducking him, and well, I’m still here.
Lopez fought back in another post at a social media moment, exposing his claim that he had turned down an earlier UFC fight with the Mexican star.
“To say I refused to fight is stupid,” Lopez wrote in her Instagram story. “The fight was already set to become the main event for UFC Mexico in February. I accepted while you were circling in the circle. The UFC changed plans and called me to fight for the title.
“Let’s get to the facts,” he added in another post on X. “After the fight with Volk, the UFC asked me how my health was. I told them all the recommendations the doctors had given me. They provided Aaron Pico. Rodriguez, I have refused whether you have any doubts or I refused and would not accept the fight.