Diego Lopes might be an underdog in the oddsmakers' books, but Esteban Ribovics sees things vastly differently.
The sportsbooks favor Charles Oliveira to defend his BMF title and spoil Lopes' lightweight debut in the main event of UFC 335, which takes place Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ribovics (17-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), who's a rising UFC lightweight, has Lopes winning the BMF title and pulling off the upset due to one factor he finds critical in this five-round championship bout.
"For me, Diego wins," Ribovics told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "Both have good jiu-jitsu, but I think Diego has the chin. In those exchanges, we've seen Oliveira fall several times. He was knocked out by (Ilia) Topuria, and has been knocked down several times. We've
also seen how people land on Diego, and his chin is strong. I think Diego might take a lot of punishment, but at some point he's going to connect."
Ribovics and Lopes are not teammates, but he they have trained together in the past. Ribovics, who's considered one of the bigger fighters at lightweight, doesn't expect Lopes to be undersized in his move up from 145 to 155.
"When I trained with him in Puebla, I felt he was a good size and strong," Ribovics explained. "I'm sure he's now even bigger in muscle and might have to cut more. I felt him strong that time and felt he was up to par with the weight class."
Ribovics has been picking up a reputation for being a brawler and an exciting fighter in the UFC. He's coming off back-to-back stoppage wins over Edson Barboza and King Green. The Argentine hopes to one day fight for the BMF belt. He believes he's building up towards that opportunity.
"Obviously, that's my style – violence," Ribovics said. "I dream of fighting for that belt. Maybe someday. I want it. I want it. Maybe soon. Why not next year? That belt goes according with my style."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC contender sees Diego Lopes beating Charles Oliveira for BMF title. Here's why
