Sovran Star

Brazilian mixed martial artist Diego Lopes da Silva, 31, is one of the “UFC Freedom 250” winners. He was born in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil but is fighting out of Puebla, Mexico.

“UFC Freedom 250“

Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, the Ultimate Fighting Championship held “UFC Freedom 250” on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., USA on June 14, 2026. It made history as the first combat sports event to be held at the official residence and workplace of the president of the country.

There were seven matches on the card. The first bout of the evening was a featherweight contest between Lopez and Estevan “Steve” M. Garcia Jr., 34, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA who is fighting out of Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

Mike Beltran served as the referee. The opening frame belonged to Garcia, who carried that momentum into the second round by dropping Lopes with a crisp left hand.

However, tasting the canvas only ignited Lopes’s fighting spirit. Biting down on his guard, he plunged straight into the fire, turning the tide with precision striking.

Garcia tried desperately to trade punches but Lopes proved too accurate and too relentless, ultimately pounding his way to a spectacular stoppage. Beltran stopped the fight after 2 minutes and 42 seconds in the second round.

Lopes knocked out Garcia via punches. The loss downgraded the professional MMA record of the Albuquerque native to 19 wins and 6 losses.

This is Lopes’s seventh UFC win. He now has 28 wins and 8 losses.

Diego Lopes

On September 8, 2012, Lopes made his professional MMA debut in Manaus. His first five professional MMA bouts were all held in the city.

Before joining the UFC, Lopes competed in It’s Time Combat, Big Way Fight, Pro Fight MMA Brasil, Thunder Fight, Elite Fight Night, Coatza Fight Night, Jasaji Fighting League, Xtreme Fighters Latino, Absolute Championship Akhmat, Roca Fighting League, LUX Fight League and Fury Fighting Championship. In the UFC, he defeated Gavin Tucker and Pat Sabatini in 2023, Sodiq Yusuff, Dan Ige and Brian Ortega in 2024 and Jean Silva in 2025.