Diego Lopes is nicely conscious of Jean Silva’s ways forward of their Noche UFC predominant occasion in San Antonio on Sept. 13.
From social media feedback and takedown wager props, Silva has verbally attacked Lopes for the reason that featherweight conflict was made official, however the former UFC title contender promised it received’t have an effect on him earlier than or throughout their five-round match.
“He’s positively making an attempt to [get in my head], however that received’t occur,” Lopes advised MMA Preventing. “That merely received’t occur.”
Silva is 5-0 within the UFC with a one hundred pc end fee, capped off by his latest second-round submission over Bryce Mitchell. Lopes, 5-2 within the promotion, feels he’s one step forward of his fellow Brazilian in each side of the sport.
“I feel I’ve achieved jiu-jitsu with extra excessive stage guys, and achieved nicely,” Lopes stated. “I’ve traded with excessive stage guys, and likewise achieved nicely. I’m not in search of a straightforward path, nor a means that can get me the victory in a neater means. I need to implement my sport contained in the octagon and are available out with the victory.
“I do know the burden of my hand, I do know I can join a superb hand on him, he can go down after which I can go after the submission. I do know I can take him down, get on high and submit him. I do know I can finish on backside and submit him. I’ve extra weapons, perceive? I’m not considering like, ‘I’ll commerce with him as a result of I need to show I’m higher [striker] than him. I’ll take him down as a result of I need to show I’m higher than him on the bottom.’ No, I don’t need to show something. I’m merely going there to win the combat.”
Lopes spent weeks enhancing his wrestling in Oklahoma and stated his camp “was fully completely different from the final one,” referring to his title match with Alexander Volkanovski. Lopes misplaced that bout through unanimous choice.
“Greater than doing various things and going again to what we’ve achieved in preparation for fights earlier than the Volkanovski one,” Lopes stated. “Understanding he’s extra aggressive, it’s a method that additionally favors us. We’re principally going again to that time, additionally figuring out what we’ve, the aggressiveness. Aggressiveness in opposition to aggressiveness, we all know what we’ll get.”
Wanting again at his failed try to say UFC gold, Lopes feels followers usually diminish his efficiency quite than reward Volkanovski.
“The match-up requested for that [strategy],” Lopes stated. “Individuals have a tendency to have a look at it like, ‘It was Diego’s mistake, his flaw.’ However folks don’t give Volk sufficient credit score. Once we traded arms, when he stood in entrance of me, I all the time linked the higher strikes. When he did his sport plan, all the time strolling to my left facet and successful the angle, that’s what he did proper. Individuals neglect that and solely see [my] flaws, and that’s taking advantage away from the opponent. After all I may have achieved extra, however I feel that was his advantage in that combat.”
Volkanovski has been very vocal about his need to compete on extra time in 2025, suggesting a conflict with Lerone Murphy in December, and Lopes feels he could be again into title rivalry with an emphatic victory over the favored Preventing Nerd this weekend.
“I feel that each one relies on how we win the combat,” Lopes stated “It may very well be an in depth choice, or possibly a cut up choice in a battle, or only a boring combat. A superb knockout, a superb submission. However I feel that successful this combat nicely, actually dominant and displaying we’re superior to Jean, that can positively make the UFC consider my identify once more. But when they select Lerone Murphy, let’s go for the subsequent combat, no drawback in any respect.”
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