UFC 206 winner Matthew Lopez wants sole loss back: 'Mark my words, I'll see Rani Yahya again'

TORONTO – Matthew Lopez is only 1-1 in his UFC career, but he’s already eyeing a rematch.

After overcoming a rough first round to ultimately outpoint Mitch Gagnon (12-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC 206, Lopez (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) may have bounced back from a UFC debut submission loss to Rani Yahya, but he doesn’t seem entirely over it.

While he acknowledges Yahya’s lauded ground game – dubbing him “the scariest grappler in the 135-pound division” – Lopez wants to have another go. This time, minus the octagon jitters.

“Some people think there’s no real like, ‘Being here the first time in the octagon,’” Lopez said. “It’s real. I went out there and I saw the UFC name on top of that little ring and it was still a prelim and there were still 5,000 people out there. And believe it or not, it gets to you.

“Whether it’s subconscious or not, it gets to you. And by the second round I was tired, so – you can mark my words: I’ll see Rani Yahya again.”

The bantamweight bout between Lopez and Gagnon was part of the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 206 event at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.

After outgrappling a fighter known for his grappling chops, a confident Lopez stated that, other than Yahya, no other bantamweight can “come close” to him in that department.

But, more than skills, he relied on something extra to weather the storm at the end of the first round and ensure his first octagon win.

“It wasn’t scary at all, actually,” Lopez said. “I felt like I was winning the round, and then I got dropped and I kind of went into autopilot. But it wasn’t scary because I was just fighting. That’s what I do. That’s what my training partners, my coaches – I just fought.

“(I) got through the round because I have the heart of a champion. I don’t think anybody in this damn planet can take my heart away from me. So when push comes to shove, I’m going to get back out there and fight.”

To hear more from Lopez, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of UFC 206, check out the UFC Events section of the site.