Diego Lopes’ 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.
This armbar was NASTY by @DiegoLopesMMA 😱 #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/fd3MUFUZa9
— UFC (@ufc) August 6, 2023
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 50.
