NEW YORK – Diego Lopes is approaching UFC star status, if he’s not there already.
Already with an increased level of popularity and buzz compared to his fellow two-UFC-fight counterparts, Lopes (23-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC) kicked off the UFC 295 main card vs. Pat Sabatini (18-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC), whom he blasted with a brutal barrage of knockout blows until the stoppage at 1:30 of Round 1.
In the final moments of the fight, Lopes successfully defended a takedown attempt and cranked Sabatini with an uppercut. The blow sent Sabatini backward as he staggered and crashed into the cage. Sabatini hit the canvas, and Lopes continued to pound the consciousness out of him.
DIEGO LOPES WAS ON GO MODE 💥 #UFC295 pic.twitter.com/C3chv5Cdgt
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 12, 2023
Lopes attracted initial attention from a loss in his short notice debut when he put forth a competitive decision outing against ranked Movsar Evloev, an above-average tough first assignment. In August, he submitted Gavin Tucker in 98 seconds to pick up his first promotional win.
Sabatini picks up his second loss in his three most recent outings.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 295 results include:
- Diego Lopes def. Pat Sabatini knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:30
- Steve Erceg def. Alessandro Costa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Loopy Godinez def. Tabatha Ricci via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mateusz Rebecki def. Roosevelt Roberts via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:08
- Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Nazim Sadykhov declared majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
- Jared Gordon def. Mark Madsen via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:42
- John Castaneda def. Kyung Ho Kang via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Joshua Van def. Kevin Borjas via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jamall Emmers def. Dennis Buzukja via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:49
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.
