'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Diego Lopes shared an incredible story about his MMA debut ahead of his upcoming UFC featherweight title fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314. The clash will at take place on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Ahead of the highly anticipated showdown, in the UFC 314 Countdown episode, the Brazilian fighter shared a surprising story about how his MMA journey began. Lopes revealed that it was his brother who unexpectedly threw him into his first MMA fight, despite him having only a jiu-jitsu background at the time. He also shared that he was just 17 years old when he made his MMA debut.
Lopes said:
"I didn’t plan on competing in MMA. My brother was already fighting—he was already a professional. One day, I was at home, just on the computer, and he told me: You’re going to fight in a month. I said, 'Well, that’s fine. It’s jiu-jitsu, right?' And he said, 'No, it’s an MMA fight.”
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
He added:
“Then he told me, 'Don’t worry, you know jiu-jitsu, so there’s not a problem. You can fight.' It was like, 'Grab your **** and go.' I was 17 years old. I started MMA in 2012. I went straight to professional. And that is when my professional career really took off."
Check out Diego Lopes’ comments below (12:15):
Lopes made his UFC debut against Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 in May 2023, where he lost via unanimous decision. Since then, he hasn’t lost a fight and is currently riding a five-fight winning streak.
Diego Lopes predicts knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314
In the same episode, Diego Lopes claimed that he has better grappling than Alexander Volkanovski and boldly predicted that he would win at UFC 314 via knockout to become the featherweight king.
“All my life, I’ve prepared for this moment. From the moment I arrived at the UFC, my focus was to fight for the title. And now that I have the opportunity I must take advantage of it. In any situation, my grappling is dangerous to him, but I see myself winning this fight by knockout.”
Check out Diego Lopes’ comments below:
