Tag: Diego Lopes

Diego Lopes hopes to rematch Movsar Evloev in the future: ‘That’s the objective’

Diego Lopes is hoping to cross paths with Movsar Evloev again.

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] wants a rematch against the man who gave him his first UFC defeat – but just not yet.

Lopes had one of the wildest UFC debuts in recent years. He made his first promotional appearance with almost no time to prepare, taking a fight against undefeated featherweight contender Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 in May with just three days notice. Although Lopes lost a decision that night, he went the distance with one of the world’s best, came close to submitting him a few times, and entertained an entire arena, winning a $50,000 bonus for Fight of the Night.

Lopes (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) followed up the loss to Evloev with a quick submission win over veteran Gavin Tucker earlier this month at UFC on ESPN 50. Now with a win in his pocket and his career back on track, Lopes is hoping he crosses paths with Evloev in the future.

“Of course that’s the objective – to get that rematch,” Lopes told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “I’m not saying for my next fight or the one after that. I hope that it’s way down the line once I’m in the top 10, top five or who knows – maybe even for the title since many see Evloev as a strong candidate for the title, and I want to get there. I want to improve and show my evolution in my game (against him).”

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Lopes won’t go as far as saying he would’ve beat Evloev with a full camp to prepare, but he does think his performance would’ve been much better.

“I think things could’ve been different because I would’ve had specific submissions for him,” Lopes said. “I would’ve studied his fights, I would’ve trained better, and worked on certain adjustments, and that happened with Gavin Tucker. He defended well at first, but I made adjustments little by little until I got the submission.

“Against Evloev, if I would’ve had more time – and I don’t mean a whole training camp, but two or three weeks more – I think I could’ve done something much better. It was an incredible fight. I know people were very excited, and that’s how I made myself known. I can’t tell you I would’ve beat him with a complete training camp, that’s to be known in the future if I run into him again. That’s my objective, and we can get our answer then.”

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UFC on ESPN 50 post-event facts: Cory Sandhagen, Rob Font set dubious record for lack of strikes

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 50, where Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font set a dubious record for strikes landed in a fight.

The UFC made its sixth stop in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 50, which took place at Bridgestone Arena and saw seven of 12 fights on the card end in a decision.

Among those were the main event, where [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) cruised to a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a 140-pound catchweight fight that featured a substantial lack of action.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 50.

UFC on ESPN 50 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jessica Andrade’s $21,000 tops card

UFC on ESPN 50 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 50 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $170,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 50 took place at Bridgestone Arena. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 50 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Aleksa Camur[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ludovit Klein[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ignacio Bahamondes[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Raoni Barcelos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Carlston Harris[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Jeremiah Wells[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jake Hadley[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dennis Buzukja[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Asu Almabaev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Ode Osbourne[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $50,000 while title challengers get $50,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-50 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,222,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $19,811,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.

UFC on ESPN 50 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play and official results from UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville, Tenn.

UFC on ESPN 50 took place Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

In the main event, Cory Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) took on Rob Font (20-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) in a key bantamweight fight. In the co-feature, former women’s strawweight champion Jessica Andrade (24-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) meets unbeaten contender Tatiana Suarez (10-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC).

Check out round-by-round updates below.

Enjoy the fights, everyone.

Diego Lopes def. Gavin Tucker at UFC on ESPN 50: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Diego Lopes’ first-round submission win over Gavin Tucker at UFC on ESPN 50 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]’ first-round submission win over [autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 50 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. (Photos by Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports)

Video: Diego Lopes shines with rare finish of Gavin Tucker at UFC on ESPN 50

Diego Lopes’ UFC debut in May didn’t come under the best circumstances. That bad taste likely is gone after Saturday.

[autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]’ UFC debut in May didn’t come under the best circumstances. That bad taste likely is gone after Saturday.

Lopes (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) looked virtually perfect with a first-round triangle-armbar submission of Gavin Tucker (13-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) that came just 98 seconds into the first round at UFC on ESPN 50 in Nashville, Tenn. It was just the 11th finish of its kind in UFC history.

Lopes lost a short-notice promotional debut to Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 and vowed to have a better showing against Tucker with a normal amount of preparation. If his slick finish is indicative of what he might bring to the table, the featherweight division might want to keep eyes peeled on the rearview mirror.

Lopes has won 20 of his past 22 fights and has 13 first-round stoppages. Check out his finish of Tucker below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.

UFC Nashville’s Diego Lopes opens up about regional MMA’s stresses, challenges

It’s tough to fight outside the UFC, and newcomer Diego Lopes explains why.

Many think the UFC is the toughest battleground in MMA, but that’s only partly true.

Although the toughest competition usually can be found in the octagon, there are many challenges and difficulties that come from fighting outside it. For [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag], who recently joined the UFC roster after a decade of fighting on the regional scene, those experiences remain very vivid.

Lopes made his UFC debut in May on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 288. He got the call to fight unbeaten ranked opponent Movsar Evloev on just three days’ notice. The Brazilian lost the fight by decision, but won a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus, Dana White’s recognition, and the respect of many fans in the process.

The-28-year-old returns Saturday on the main card of UFC on ESPN 50 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Lopes (21-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) takes on Gavin Tucker (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in a featherweight matchup.

Ahead of his return, MMA Junkie caught up with Lopes to reflect on his 10-year run fighting on the regional scene and the stresses and difficulties that come with it.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 19-25)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from June 19-25.

Fresh Ink: Meet the 5 fighters the UFC signed in May 2023

Find out who joined the UFC in May and learn more about them here.

The UFC roster is bigger than ever – and it continues to expand.

Fresh faces appear on nearly every card, whether onboarded as short-notice opening fillers, Dana White’s Contender Series signees, or the increasingly rare straight-up additions. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of the hustle and bustle of the mixed martial arts news beat, but here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got you covered.

“Fresh Ink” is your list of fighters added to the UFC roster the previous month and provides background on who they are and where they came from.

Check out the May 2023 list below.

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for May: Short-notice newcomer thrills in defeat

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from May 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from May 2023. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for May.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.