takedown bet props<\/a>, Silva has verbally attacked Lopes since the featherweight clash was made official, but the former UFC title contender promised it won\u2019t affect him before or during their five-round match.<\/p>\n\u201cHe\u2019s definitely trying to [get in my head], but that won\u2019t happen,\u201d Lopes told MMA Fighting. \u201cThat simply won\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silva is 5-0 in the UFC with a 100 percent finish rate, capped off by his recent second-round submission over Bryce Mitchell. Lopes, 5-2 in the promotion, feels he\u2019s one step ahead of his fellow Brazilian in every aspect of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019ve done jiu-jitsu with more high level guys, and done well,\u201d Lopes said. \u201cI\u2019ve traded with high level guys, and also done well. I\u2019m not looking for an easy path, nor a way that will get me the victory in an easier way. I want to implement my game inside the octagon and come out with the victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the weight of my hand, I know I can connect a good hand on him, he can go down and then I can go after the submission. I know I can take him down, get on top and submit him. I know I can end on bottom and submit him. I have more weapons, understand? I\u2019m not thinking like, \u2018I\u2019ll trade with him because I want to prove I\u2019m better [striker] than him. I\u2019ll take him down because I want to prove I\u2019m better than him on the ground.\u2019 No, I don\u2019t want to prove anything. I\u2019m simply going there to win the fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lopes spent weeks improving his wrestling in Oklahoma and said his camp \u201cwas completely different from the last one,\u201d referring to his title match with Alexander Volkanovski. Lopes lost that bout via unanimous decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than doing different things and going back to what we\u2019ve done in preparation for fights before the Volkanovski one,\u201d Lopes said. \u201cKnowing he\u2019s more aggressive, it\u2019s a style that also favors us. We\u2019re basically going back to that point, also knowing what we have, the aggressiveness. Aggressiveness against aggressiveness, we know what we\u2019ll get.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking back at his failed attempt to claim UFC gold, Lopes feels fans often diminish his performance rather than praise Volkanovski.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe match-up asked for that [strategy],\u201d Lopes said. \u201cPeople tend to look at it like, \u2018It was Diego\u2019s mistake, his flaw.\u2019 But people don\u2019t give Volk enough credit. When we traded hands, when he stood in front of me, I always connected the better strikes. When he did his game plan, always walking to my left side and winning the angle, that\u2019s what he did right. People forget that and only see [my] flaws, and that\u2019s taking merit away from the opponent. Of course I could have done more, but I think that was his merit in that fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Volkanovski has been very vocal about his desire to compete on more time in 2025, suggesting a clash with Lerone Murphy in December, and Lopes feels he would be back into title contention with an emphatic victory over the popular Fighting Nerd this weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that all depends on how we win the fight,\u201d Lopes said \u201cIt could be a close decision, or maybe a split decision in a war, or just a boring fight. A good knockout, a good submission. But I think that winning this fight well, really dominant and showing we are superior to Jean, that will definitely make the UFC think of my name again. But if they choose Lerone Murphy, let\u2019s go for the next fight, no problem at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
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