Every once in a while, some exceptional talents emerge in the UFC. People like Joe Rogan and Craig Jones, who have spent years in the sport, have developed an eye for recognizing such talents right in the beginning. During a recent podcast episode, Rogan and Jones talked about one such contender in the UFC’s featherweight division.
Joe Rogan and Craig Jones recently sat down for a conversation on The Joe Rogan Experience. During their discussion, they brought up Brazilian UFC featherweight contender Diego Lopes. The UFC newcomer has gained huge momentum recently. As such, Rogan and BJJ specialist Craig Jones have nothing but great things to say about Lopes.
Diego’s scary. It’s not that he is good. He’s f****** scary. He’s intense.
Joe Rogan via JRE MMA Show #157
Craig and Rogan discussed Diego Lopes’ debut fight in the UFC. Reportedly, Lopes took that fight on short notice. However, both Jones and Rogan agreed that the Brazilian newcomer came very close to defeating the undefeated Movsar Evloev. Evloev has never lost a fight in his professional career, but Lopes came very close to delivering his first MMA loss.
Despite the debut setback, Lopes bounced back really well. Lopes went on to win all of his next three fights consecutively in the first round. His latest fight was against Sodiq Yusuf at UFC 300, whom Lopes defeated in the first round KO. The future looks exciting for the Brazilian fighter, and the fans eagerly await his return.
How good is Diego Lopes in BJJ?
With just four fights into his UFC career, Diego Lopes has caught the attention of some of the big stars in the promotion. Everyone saw an incredible triangle armbar execution by Lopes in his second fight in the UFC against Gavin Tucker. So, how good is Diego Lopes in BJJ?
Diego Lopes is a black belt in BJJ (Image via Imago)Turns out Diego Lopes is actually a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). This would technically mean he is an expert grappler with respectable ground fighting skills. Lopes started his journey young. He began at seventeen and turned pro at just nineteen years old. Over the years, he has secured titles across different fight leagues.
Now, at 29 years old, Lopes has thirty professional fights under his belt with 24 wins and six losses. Lopes has real potential to become a legitimate title challenger in the division. He currently ranks #14 in the UFC’s featherweight division. It will be interesting to follow the Brazilian featherweight’s journey as he takes on better, stronger opponents in the UFC.
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