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- Jul 15, 2021
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I rewatched this fight after Lopes beat Saddique Yusuf this past Saturday. I must say the kid is really good, he needs to be on the main card next time.
Evloev vs Lopes was the Makhachev vs Tsarukyan of the 145 division
Short-notice newcomer giving his toughest fight to a prospect ranked fighters are scared to fight
Same guessing because he is Alexa Grasso's team mate.Holdup he's brazilian? I always thought he was mexican for some reason
Diego's biggest asset is his size. He looked a whole weight class bigger than Movsar.
He looked good in the first round but gassed early. Movsar, who's a wrestler, picked him apart on the feet. Ilia would do worse to him both on the ground and standing up.
Holdup he's brazilian? I always thought he was mexican for some reason
To be fair, Lopes took the fight on super short notice so the gassing has to be taken into consideration. He's definitely a well rounded, dynamic finish with speed and athleticism, Lopes is. But it wasn't that long ago he was look pretty "meh" vs regional fighters, I'm not entirely sold quite yet personally. I think he should fight someone like Emmett or Ige next, while Evloev should face Ortega and be in line for a title shot.
Lopes looks to be evolving before our eyes, I need to see more though. Also in his wins, he's always been the hammer, I need to see how he looks vs guys who are firing back, his defense, poise under pressure, durability etc. He was taken down too easy too at times, seemed to have the Oliveira syndrome where he welcomed it but that's not good vs world class guys, gotta be able to defend takedowns, punish takedowns and create separation when takedowns are defended.
I want him to become GOAT without changing the hair or chest tattoo.That was his breakout fight for me. I was massively impressed. Once you get past the hair and chest tattoo, Lopes is the whole package. Good chin, fast heavy hands, great striking and fantastic grappling, great instincts. I hope he goes far and enjoy seeing his successes.