At the Frost Bank Center in Texas, Diego Lopes dominated the first round. He took Silva down, achieved mount, and then unleashed ground and pound.
In the second round, Silva rallied. Just as he seemed to be regaining control, he was caught by a powerful spinning back elbow from Lopes. He lost his footing, endured further ground and pound, and the referee stopped the fight. Lopes won by TKO, earning two $50,000 bonuses for fight of the night and performance of the night.
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Diego Lopes (left) defeated Jean Silva in a featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 259 at the Frost Bank Center, USA, on the morning of 14/9/2025, Hanoi time. Photo: Reuters |
Diego Lopes (left) defeated Jean Silva in a featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 259 at the Frost Bank Center, USA, on the morning of 14/9/2025, Hanoi time. Photo: Reuters
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Jean Silva's bloodied face after taking multiple blows from Diego Lopes. Photo: Screenshot |
Jean Silva's bloodied face after taking multiple blows from Diego Lopes. Photo: Screenshot
The Brazilian fighter admitted he let his emotions get the better of him after being verbally abused by his opponent's team all week, even during the fight. They seemed more focused on psychological warfare than offering Silva practical advice. This prompted Lopes to climb the cage after his victory and make an obscene gesture towards Silva's team.
Lopes then approached Silva and squatted down to talk to his opponent's coach outside the cage. "I wanted them to respect me more, because he was talking trash about me in every social media post before the fight," Lopes said in the post-fight interview.
Meanwhile, Silva sat against the cage, bloodied and sporting a swollen lump. While receiving medical attention, he suddenly sprang up and shoved Lopes out of the cage. He attempted to land a punch to the back of Lopes's head as he walked away. Security intervened before the punch connected.
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Jean Silva (left) throws a sucker punch at Diego Lopes after his defeat. Photo: Screenshot |
Jean Silva (left) throws a sucker punch at Diego Lopes after his defeat. Photo: Screenshot
Silva's actions drew boos from the crowd of over 18,000. After cooling down, Silva appeared to regain his composure and shook Lopes's hand after he was declared the winner.
"After Jean punched me in the back of the head, I was like, 'What happened?'" Diego Lopes said in the post-fight interview. "He tried to be nice to me. I don't understand. Want to be my friend? He just punched me in the back of the head. That's not cool."
Silva's sucker punch has been criticized on MMA forums worldwide. However, the UFC has not yet mentioned any disciplinary action.
The UFC has acted swiftly against fighters who attack opponents after a fight. Most notably, Paul Daley was stripped of his title after punching Josh Koscheck at UFC 113.
Diego Lopes, born in 1994, is two years older than Jean Silva. Both are prominent Brazilian featherweights (under 65 kg).
Lopes' professional MMA record is 27 wins and 7 losses. In the UFC, he has 6 wins and 2 losses. Before defeating Silva, he lost to Australian fighter Alexander Volkanovski by unanimous decision at UFC 314 in April.
Silva's MMA record is 16 wins and 3 losses. Before losing to Lopes, he had won five straight UFC fights. Also at UFC 314, he defeated Bryce Michell in the second round with a Ninja Choke.
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