Diego Lopes Strikes the Right Balance

Diego Lopes knows exactly what made him an attractive target for Ultimate Fighting Championship talent evaluators.

“I have a good record, and only two of my wins have been by decision,” he told Sherdog.com. “This is a positive trait of mine that brought me to the UFC. They like people who finish their opponents instead of stalling. My style is to always move forward and look for an early win.”

The former LUX Fight League champion will once again chase his first victory inside the Octagon when he faces Gavin Tucker in a UFC on ESPN 50 featherweight showcase on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Lopes has won two of his past three bouts. However, he finds himself on the rebound following a failed promotional debut at UFC 288, where he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against the undefeated Movsar Evloev.

Lopes, a Manaus, Brazil, native, relocated to Mexico and set up permanent residence there in 2015. “My instructor in Brazil asked who wanted to move to Mexico from our gym,” he said. “None of the more experienced students went for it, so he asked me next, and I accepted. I’ve taught jiu-jitsu ever since I arrived in Mexico. I have more than 10 branches now. My life is split between being a teacher and a fighter.” Lopes trains out of the Lobo Gym in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he hones his skills under Francisco Grasso, uncle of current UFC women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso.

“He’s responsible for strategy and making sure our standup is on point,” Lopes said. “We joined forces with him to further improve our striking.”

The 28-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt now turns his attention to Tucker, who has not fought since being victimized by Dan Ige in a 22-second knockout more than two years ago. The onetime Extreme Cage Combat titleholder holds a 4-2 record in the UFC, with wins over Sam Sicilia, Seung Woo Choi, Justin Jaynes and Billy Quarantillo.

“He’s experienced and been in the UFC for a long time,” Lopes said. “It’s an ideal fight for me. He also looks to finish his opponents. We’re training hard to bring a good fight to him. Our goal is to get a win with a good performance and inch closer to the rankings. He can expect the best version of me.”

Lopes can ill afford another setback at this stage of his career.

“Facing Gavin is very important,” he said. “It’s what I’m focused on. After that, we’ll get together and figure out the next steps. I plan to fight one more time before the end of the year. We hope everything goes according to plan.”