MIAMI – It got heated. Diego Lopes and Yair Rodriguez exploded over past accusations at Thursday’s UFC 314 pre-fight press conference.
The two featherweight title contenders got into a heated argument and had to be held back by security mid-press conference for Saturday’s UFC pay-per-view event at Kaseya Center.
Lopes (27-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC) fights Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant featherweight title in the main event of the card, and Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) welcomes former two-division Bellator champion Patricio Freire on the main card.
A reporter asked Lopes if he’d fight Rodriguez at Noche UFC in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sept. 13 if he won the title this weekend. That’s when all hell broke loose.
“How many consecutive losses does he have?” Lopes responded. “How many? Two? That’s not enough (for a title fight).”
Rodriguez replied:
“P*ssy. Didn’t you jump Marco (Beltran) between you and your team? Didn’t you jump Marco with your team? Yes or no? I’ve been waiting for the right moment to tell you this to your f*cking face. You’re going to pay for Marco.”
The drama between Yair Rodriguez and Diego Lopes continued on-stage after the #UFC314 press conference. 👀 pic.twitter.com/1n6LKvIddB
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 10, 2025
Marco Beltran, a former UFC fighter, fought Lopes in the Mexican regional scene back in 2019 in Monterrey, Mexico. Lopes submitted him with a knee bar to win the LUX featherweight title. Rodriguez alleges Lopes and his team tried to jump Marco.
Lopes claims Rodriguez threatened a woman in his team. There’s no exact order or timeline of these accusations.
“Talk about my team, and the same thing that happen to him will happen to you,” Lopes shouted. “You threatened her, you threatened her. “You threatened a girl, and you’re going to pay.”
Rodriguez replied:
“Don’t twist up words.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.
