Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva squared off in a Featherweight contest earlier tonight (Sat. Sept. 13, 2025) live on ESPN+ inside Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. In one of the year’s best fights, Lopes emerged victorious.
Lopes opened the contest with a clean calf kick, attacking the wide base of “Lord.” He returned to that strike multiple times in the opening minute. Silva returned the favor a couple times and took a kick upstairs as well. Lopes sidestepped a spin kick and slammed Silva to the mat,
immediately taking his back! Silva escaped to mount but was still in a terrible position. Lopes sliced his opponent open with nasty elbows and then dropped hammers on the canvas, immediately threatening the finish. Silva bucked frantically and smiled at the shots coming his way, but he was taking an absolute beating from the high mount.
Silva dug under the leg — a risky move against a submission ace — and was able to escape to freedom. He landed a solid front kick upstairs but looked a bit worn down from the ground assault. He still managed to find a hard right hand before the bell, proving he was still in the fight despite the horrendous start.
Silva started round two with body punches. Silva ripped a body-head combination, but Lopes fired back hard with a counter uppercut on the break of a clinch. Silva stumbled Lopes with a huge right hand. Another straight round found the chin. Three hard punches in a row! How was Lopes eating these shots?!? Silva was absolutely flowing into his offense, and somehow, Lopes just absorbed the damage without blinking. When Silva missed on a right hand swing, Lopes took him down with ease for a much-needed takedown. This time, Silva was able to scramble up easily, and the two traded wild shots with Silva on the front foot.
Out of nowhere, a Lopes spinning elbow floored Silva! “Lord” was badly hurt, and Lopes pounced on him with a savage series of ground strikes. The referee moved in to save Silva, but he was covered in cuts and bleeding all over the place.
Silva wasn’t happy with the stoppage, but the victory belongs to Diego Lopes.
This was a tremendous performance from Lopes, who game planned really well for an obviously incredible talent. Attacking the lead leg and timing his takedowns so well was a major key for Lopes, and his general success helped him line up that eventual spinning elbow. All told, this was one of the best fights of the year, filled with drama for as long as it lasted.
Result: Diego Lopes defeats Jean Silva via second-round knockout
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