NEW YORK – Diego Lopes knows all eyes are going to be on him on Saturday night, and he plans to make the most of it.

The UFC rookie competes in his third fight in the octagon against Pat Sabatini. The two standout grapplers are scheduled to meet in a featherweight bout to open the UFC 295 pay-per-view main card in Madison Square Garden.

Lopes (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is aware he’s in a highly coveted spot on the card and plans to make a statement against Sabatini (18-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC), so he can show he’s ready for bigger opportunities.

“I think this is a great opportunity and just being on the main card it’s something that’s very meaningful,” Lopes said through an interpreter at the UFC 295 media day on Wednesday. “I also want to show that my first fight just wasn’t a matter of luck being there. I’m made for big things, and I’ll have to show that on Saturday.”

Lopes debuted in May on the main card of UFC 288 against top contender Movsar Evloev. He lost the fight by unanimous decision and gave Evloev a tough run despite taking the fight the week of the event.

Since then, Lopes picked up a quick submission over Gavin Tucker in August and has gathered a lot of attention from the fan base on social media. Despite wanting more, the Brazilian fighter is grateful for what he’s experienced so far.

“It’s been incredible everything that I have gone through in my career,” Lopes said. “I enjoy very much everything I’ve been through before getting to the UFC. I was knocking on the door for a long time, and for whatever reason things didn’t work out. I have many fans in Mexico and now that the world knows me the doors are open for it all. Getting the love and support from the fans is something good and something I appreciate.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.