MMA Junkie’s 2023 Newcomer of the Year: Diego Lopes

Let’s be moral: A 2-1 memoir within the UFC is noteworthy from noteworthy. But, Diego Lopes by some means made it work into one thing special and relatively promising.

The Brazilian featherweight enamored the MMA world in precisely three UFC fights in 2023. Results and recordsdata in MMA are incessantly indicative of success or failure, but, for Lopes (23-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC), these markers don’t expose his fat fable from the past year.

Per chance Lopes’ finest salvage came wrapped as an official defeat. At UFC 288 in Could well presumably, a key featherweight bout pitting ranked, rising contenders Movsar Evloev and Bryce Mitchell changed into scheduled to head down on the predominant card. But four days away from the fight, Mitchell changed into compelled out and a largely unknown Lopes, who had lost on Dana White’s Contender Series two years prior, bought the possibility to contain in as replacement.

To many, and with out fault, Lopes changed into moral a physique – a regional fighter who accredited a default loss moral to rep entry into the UFC. But that wasn’t what Lopes wanted his truth to be, and he made positive to let folks know.

In a aesthetic and fun flip of events, Lopes gave Evloev by some distance the toughest fight of his UFC profession and came terminate to taking the undefeated memoir from the highly touted Russian title contender. Lopes changed into in assault mode for the fat quarter-hour. Submission strive after submission strive, Lopes had Evloev combating for his proverbial lifestyles. In the cease, Evloev bought his hand raised, but the fight world changed into intention more impressed with what Lopes did that night. With moral a number of days’ perceive, Lopes made weight and gave a fancy fight to an unbeaten high-10 opponent – one thing no a great deal of UFC fighter had completed prior.

Lopes also took home an additional $50,000 for his piece within the Fight of the Evening winner – and surely one of many excellent fights of 2023. That changed into a salvage – unofficially, anyway.

Lopes’ failed UFC debut created the tainted for his hype, but he had to aid it up.

The Lobo Gymnasium fighter and coach returned three months later and wished moral 98 seconds to publish Gavin Tucker on the predominant card of UFC on ESPN 50. Lopes received one other $50,000 bonus for his masterful armbar cease.

Then in a transient return in November, Lopes opened up the pay-per-stare predominant card of UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in opposition to Pat Sabatini, who changed into 5-1 within the promotion. It changed into a mountainous moment for the likelihood, and again, Lopes delivered one other first-round Performance of the Evening cease with aknockout of Sabatini in 90 seconds.

The hype changed into genuine. The wild and terminate defeat to Evloev changed into no flash within the pan. Lopes proved in his subsequent fights that now not easiest changed into he UFC ready, but he also is a must-stare possibility.

Totally various components peripheral to Lopes’ in-cage performances also contributed to his affect in 2023, along side some wonderful hair, a sportive social media presence and being piece of the crew that ended in the the finest upset of 2023: Alexa Grasso’s submission of Valentina Shevchenko to turn out to be the UFC’s girls’s flyweight champion.

For a fighter who’s moral 2-1 within the UFC, Diego Lopes has had a huge impression on the MMA world. That’s why he’s MMA Junkie’s 2023 Newcomer of the Year.