Diego Lopes
Brazil
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.
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.
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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.
Hangs tough in championship loss
Lopes came up short in his quest for the vacant UFC Featherweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision (47-49, 46-49, 46-49) at UFC 314 in Miami.
ANALYSIS
Lopes earned this opportunity on the strength of five straight wins, and although he came up short, he proved he's most definitely a championship-caliber fighter in arguably the deepest weight class in the sport. Diego remained competitive in this fight on the strength of his granite chin and ridiculous power. Volkanovski landed far more strikes, but Lopes' blows were the hardest, highlighted by a Round 2 knockdown. When all was said and done, however, he just got outworked by a future Hall-of-Famer. There's no shame in that. Diego is going to have to keep winning in order to remain in the title picture in a loaded featherweight division, but he has the skill set to do so. He's absolutely legit despite this result. Another bright spot is that he'll walk away with a $50,000 bonus for his efforts after this matchup was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
Lopes earned this opportunity on the strength of five straight wins, and although he came up short, he proved he's most definitely a championship-caliber fighter in arguably the deepest weight class in the sport. Diego remained competitive in this fight on the strength of his granite chin and ridiculous power. Volkanovski landed far more strikes, but Lopes' blows were the hardest, highlighted by a Round 2 knockdown. When all was said and done, however, he just got outworked by a future Hall-of-Famer. There's no shame in that. Diego is going to have to keep winning in order to remain in the title picture in a loaded featherweight division, but he has the skill set to do so. He's absolutely legit despite this result. Another bright spot is that he'll walk away with a $50,000 bonus for his efforts after this matchup was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
Title fight set
Lopes will challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 314 on April 12 in Miami, according to UFC President Dana White.
ANALYSIS
Lopes is certainly deserving of this shot after five consecutive dominant victories, but most thought it would come against Ilia Topuria, who was the champion at featherweight up until Wednesday. Topuria is set to vacate the belt and move up to lightweight, however, which leaves Lopes in line to face the former champion, who had one of the most dominant runs in featherweight history. Youth and momentum are on the side of Lopes, as Volkanovski is 36 years old and has lost three of his last four, though no man other than Topuria and pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev have beaten him. Look for this to be an exciting affair filled with high-volume striking.
Lopes is certainly deserving of this shot after five consecutive dominant victories, but most thought it would come against Ilia Topuria, who was the champion at featherweight up until Wednesday. Topuria is set to vacate the belt and move up to lightweight, however, which leaves Lopes in line to face the former champion, who had one of the most dominant runs in featherweight history. Youth and momentum are on the side of Lopes, as Volkanovski is 36 years old and has lost three of his last four, though no man other than Topuria and pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev have beaten him. Look for this to be an exciting affair filled with high-volume striking.