MMA Junkie's 2023 Newcomer of the Year: Diego Lopes
Let’s be honest: A 2-1 record in the UFC is far from remarkable. Yet, Diego Lopes somehow made it work into something special and quite promising.
The Brazilian featherweight enamored the MMA world in just three UFC fights in 2023. Results and records in MMA are usually indicative of success or failure, yet, for Lopes (23-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC), these markers don’t tell his full story from the past year.
Perhaps Lopes’ biggest win came wrapped as an official defeat. At UFC 288 in May, a key featherweight bout pitting ranked, rising contenders Movsar Evloev and Bryce Mitchell was scheduled to go down on the main card. But four days away from the fight, Mitchell was forced out and a mostly unknown Lopes, who had lost on Dana White’s Contender Series two years prior, got the call to fill in as replacement.
To many, and without fault, Lopes was just a body – a regional fighter who accepted a default loss just to get entry into the UFC. But that wasn’t what Lopes wanted his truth to be, and he made sure to let people know.
In a shocking and fun turn of events, Lopes gave Evloev by far the toughest fight of his UFC career and came close to taking the undefeated record from the highly touted Russian title contender. Lopes was in attack mode for the full 15 minutes. Submission attempt after submission attempt, Lopes had Evloev fighting for his proverbial life. In the end, Evloev got his hand raised, but the fight world was far more impressed with what Lopes did that night. With just a few days’ notice, Lopes made weight and gave a tough fight to an unbeaten top-10 opponent – something no other UFC fighter had done prior.
Lopes also took home an extra $50,000 for his part in the Fight of the Night winner – and one of the best fights of 2023. That was a win – unofficially, anyway.
Lopes’ failed UFC debut created the base for his hype, but he had to back it up.
The Lobo Gym fighter and coach returned three months later and needed just 98 seconds to submit Gavin Tucker on the main card of UFC on ESPN 50. Lopes won another $50,000 bonus for his masterful armbar finish.
Then in a quick return in November, Lopes opened up the pay-per-view main card of UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden against Pat Sabatini, who was 5-1 in the promotion. It was a big moment for the prospect, and again, Lopes delivered another first-round Performance of the Night finish with a knockout of Sabatini in 90 seconds.
The hype was real. The wild and close defeat to Evloev was no flash in the pan. Lopes proved in his subsequent fights that not only was he UFC ready, but he also is a must-watch menace.
Other factors peripheral to Lopes’ in-cage performances also contributed to his impact in 2023, including some amazing hair, a playful social media presence and being part of the team that led to the the biggest upset of 2023: Alexa Grasso’s submission of Valentina Shevchenko to become the UFC’s women’s flyweight champion.
For a fighter who’s just 2-1 in the UFC, Diego Lopes has had a massive impression on the MMA world. That’s why he’s MMA Junkie’s 2023 Newcomer of the Year.