Diego Lopes

Lopes was born in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, into a family where martial arts was a shared tradition. He started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu at seven. At 16, he earned his purple belt. When he turned 19, an offer from his jiu-jitsu instructor brought him to Mexico to teach grappling classes. He stayed in Mexico. Working out of Lobo Gym under head trainer Francisco Grasso, Lopes adopted Puebla as his home base and developed close ties to Mexican combat sports.

Lopes later launched Brazilian Warriors, a non-profit jiu-jitsu academy located in Puebla. The gym offers free training and mentorship to underprivileged local children. Having started his own career with minimal financial backing, he designed the academy to supply the resources, gear, and coaching that he lacked in his youth.

Lopes made his professional mixed martial arts debut in Brazil in September 2012, winning his first bout by knockout. Over his early regional run, he balanced coaching duties with active competition across Brazil and Mexico. He claimed featherweight belts in Mexican promotions including Jasaji Fighting League and Xtreme Fighters Latino.

He later joined LUX Fight League. After earning submission and decision victories, Lopes faced Marco Beltran for the LUX Featherweight Championship in November 2019. He secured the title with a first-round kneebar submission. He defended the title against Masio Fullen in March 2021 with an armbar before earning an invite to Dana White's Contender Series later that year.

In May 2023, Lopes accepted a short-notice UFC assignment against Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 with five days to prepare. Although he lost by decision, his submission attempts earned him a Fight of the Night bonus. Momentum built fast. He finished Gavin Tucker with an armbar in under two minutes, then knocked out Pat Sabatini in the opening round at UFC 295.

At UFC 300 in April 2024, Lopes stopped Sodiq Yusuff via technical knockout inside ninety seconds. He hopped the Octagon fence to celebrate with UFC leadership. The Nevada State Athletic Commission fined him for the move. UFC CEO Dana White covered the fine on his behalf. Two months later at UFC 303, scheduled opponent Brian Ortega fell ill on fight day, and Lopes defeated late replacement Dan Ige in a catchweight matchup before beating Ortega by decision at UFC 306.

A five-fight promotional winning streak earned Lopes a title bout for the vacant UFC Featherweight Championship against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314 in April 2025. Lopes dropped Volkanovski late in the second round. The fight went the full five rounds. Volkanovski took the unanimous decision, and both athletes received Fight of the Night honors.

Lopes rebounded with a second-round stoppage of Jean Silva at UFC Fight Night 259, setting up a rematch with Volkanovski at UFC 325 in Sydney. He again took the champion the distance, losing a five-round decision that earned Fight of the Night honors. Lopes bounced back in June 2026, knocking out Steve Garcia in the second round at UFC Freedom 250.