Diego Lopes
Brazil
Finds KO in White House opener
Lopes defeated Steve Garcia via KO (punches) at 2:42 of Round 2 at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday in Washington DC.
ANALYSIS
The end result is all that matters, but outside of the finish, this was not a strong Lopes performance by any means. He got clipped with a couple big shots from Garcia early on, and that appeared to make him hesitant. He spent the first round and a half of the fight doing absolutely nothing before finally pushing forward and applying some pressure midway through Round 2. Landing a few shots seemed to give Diego confidence, and he was eventually able to pounce and put Garcia away midway through the frame. While the win is great, the bottom line is that two of Lopes' previous three fights were for the UFC Featherweight Championship, both against Alexander Volkanovski, and he wasn't competitive in either. Diego needs someone else to take the crown at 145 pounds in order for him to be considered a realistic title challenger once again.
The end result is all that matters, but outside of the finish, this was not a strong Lopes performance by any means. He got clipped with a couple big shots from Garcia early on, and that appeared to make him hesitant. He spent the first round and a half of the fight doing absolutely nothing before finally pushing forward and applying some pressure midway through Round 2. Landing a few shots seemed to give Diego confidence, and he was eventually able to pounce and put Garcia away midway through the frame. While the win is great, the bottom line is that two of Lopes' previous three fights were for the UFC Featherweight Championship, both against Alexander Volkanovski, and he wasn't competitive in either. Diego needs someone else to take the crown at 145 pounds in order for him to be considered a realistic title challenger once again.
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Set to open White House card
Lopes will take on Steve Garcia in a featherweight matchup at the UFC White House card on June 14.
ANALYSIS
The duo will open up the five-fight card set to be held on the White House front lawn. Lopes has lost two of three fights, but both were title shots to Alexander Volkanovski, and both took home FOTN honors. He remains one of the elite featherweights on the roster. Now he'll draw Garcia, who has put together an impressive seven-fight winning streak featuring four bonuses and six KO/TKO wins. Lopes will give up slight height and reach advantages to Garcia, who also has superior striking stats (though Lopes' defensive marks have been skewed a bit of late by the elite caliber of opponent he's faced). Despite that, he opens as a slight betting favorite.
The duo will open up the five-fight card set to be held on the White House front lawn. Lopes has lost two of three fights, but both were title shots to Alexander Volkanovski, and both took home FOTN honors. He remains one of the elite featherweights on the roster. Now he'll draw Garcia, who has put together an impressive seven-fight winning streak featuring four bonuses and six KO/TKO wins. Lopes will give up slight height and reach advantages to Garcia, who also has superior striking stats (though Lopes' defensive marks have been skewed a bit of late by the elite caliber of opponent he's faced). Despite that, he opens as a slight betting favorite.
Again fails in title quest
Lopes against failed in his quest for the UFC Featherweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision (46-49, 46-49, 45-50) at UFC 324 in Sydney, Australia.
ANALYSIS
So, it turns out giving Lopes another title shot after winning just one fight in between (Jean Silva via knockout in September) wasn't the greatest idea in the world. He lost to Volkanovski via unanimous decision last April and virtually nothing changed in the rematch. If anything, the gap between he and the champion appeared larger than before. Diego landed a few shots notable shots here and there, but still nowhere near as many as Volk. Lopes' aggressiveness and power is a lousy matchup against a guy with the technical skills of Volkanovski. The Brazilian's 6-3 record in his last nine fights is fine, but two of the defeats came against the champion and the other against the guy most consider to be the top challenger in the division right now, Movsar Evloev. It sure feels as if there's a gap between Diego and the best in the division at 145 pounds. On the bright side, he'll take home an extra $100,000 for his efforts after the main event was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
So, it turns out giving Lopes another title shot after winning just one fight in between (Jean Silva via knockout in September) wasn't the greatest idea in the world. He lost to Volkanovski via unanimous decision last April and virtually nothing changed in the rematch. If anything, the gap between he and the champion appeared larger than before. Diego landed a few shots notable shots here and there, but still nowhere near as many as Volk. Lopes' aggressiveness and power is a lousy matchup against a guy with the technical skills of Volkanovski. The Brazilian's 6-3 record in his last nine fights is fine, but two of the defeats came against the champion and the other against the guy most consider to be the top challenger in the division right now, Movsar Evloev. It sure feels as if there's a gap between Diego and the best in the division at 145 pounds. On the bright side, he'll take home an extra $100,000 for his efforts after the main event was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
Set for rematch against Volkanovski
Lopes will fight Volkanovski at UFC 325 on Jan. 31, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Volkanovski emerged victorious and captured the UFC Featherweight Championship when these two last faced each other in April. Now that Volkanovski has recovered from a hand injury he suffered in that fight, Lopes will receive a second chance to claim the title. The 30-year-old regained momentum by taking down Jean Silva in September; meanwhile, Volkanovski has lost three of his last five fights.
Volkanovski emerged victorious and captured the UFC Featherweight Championship when these two last faced each other in April. Now that Volkanovski has recovered from a hand injury he suffered in that fight, Lopes will receive a second chance to claim the title. The 30-year-old regained momentum by taking down Jean Silva in September; meanwhile, Volkanovski has lost three of his last five fights.
Ends Silva hype train in style
Lopes defeated Jean Silva via TKO (punches) at 4:48 of Round 2 at UFC Noche on Saturday in San Antonio.
ANALYSIS
Lopes got the headlining spot on the Noche card despite not being very competitive in a title fight against Alexander Volkanovski in April. He took full advantage of the opportunity, upsetting Silva with arguably his most complete performance to date. Silva gave up full mount just minutes into the fight, allowing Lopes to spend nearly all of Round 1 in a dominant position. Silva managed to survive and take the momentum back early in Round 2, but Diego was able to drop his opponent with a spinning elbow, which combined with a handful of unanswered follow-up shots, led to the stoppage. The massive win puts Lopes right back on track in a loaded featherweight division. It will also go down as one of the most financially lucrative nights of Lopes' young career, as he'll take home an extra $100,000 in bonuses -- $50,000 for Performance of the night, and another $50,000 for Fight of the Night.
Lopes got the headlining spot on the Noche card despite not being very competitive in a title fight against Alexander Volkanovski in April. He took full advantage of the opportunity, upsetting Silva with arguably his most complete performance to date. Silva gave up full mount just minutes into the fight, allowing Lopes to spend nearly all of Round 1 in a dominant position. Silva managed to survive and take the momentum back early in Round 2, but Diego was able to drop his opponent with a spinning elbow, which combined with a handful of unanswered follow-up shots, led to the stoppage. The massive win puts Lopes right back on track in a loaded featherweight division. It will also go down as one of the most financially lucrative nights of Lopes' young career, as he'll take home an extra $100,000 in bonuses -- $50,000 for Performance of the night, and another $50,000 for Fight of the Night.
Announced as Noche UFC headliner
Lopes will take on Jean Silva in a featherweight bout as the main event of Noche UFC on Sept. 13 in San Antonio, per Aaron Bronsteter of TSN.ca.
ANALYSIS
Lopes is coming off a tough loss in a championship bout in April, falling at the hands of Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision. That dropped his UFC record to 5-2, but he'll get a chance at the big-time once again with a headlining fight against a daunting opponent in Silva, who has begun his career a perfect 5-0 in the promotion.
Lopes is coming off a tough loss in a championship bout in April, falling at the hands of Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision. That dropped his UFC record to 5-2, but he'll get a chance at the big-time once again with a headlining fight against a daunting opponent in Silva, who has begun his career a perfect 5-0 in the promotion.