Just some years in the past, it could have been virtually unimaginable
that Mexico couldn’t solely get on the board however maintain extra Ultimate Fighting Championship titles than
powerhouse international locations Brazil or Russia.
The promotion at present has three Mexican champions: Brandon
Moreno at flyweight, Yair
Rodriguez because the interim featherweight beltholder and Alexa
Grasso as the ladies’s flyweight champ. This ties the nation
with the USA, during which Aljamain
Sterling (bantamweight) Jamahal
Hill (gentle heavyweight) and Jon Jones
(heavyweight) maintain straps of their weight classes. If the
prediction of current UFC signee and Lobo Health club Brazilian jiu-jitsu
coach Diego Lopes
is correct, Mexico could have its fourth concurrent champion on
June 10. That night time, at UFC 289 in Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada, Mexican challenger Irene
Aldana will tackle vaunted bantamweight queen Amanda
Nunes in the principle attraction. Lopes, in an interview with
Sherdog shortly after his thrilling efficiency towards Movsar
Evloev at UFC 288, anticipated Aldana would pull off the
upset.
“We’re doing nice group work in Lobo Health club for the final 4 years
and it could possibly be proven when Grasso beat Valentina [Shevchenko] and
shocked the world,” Lopes boasted. “Now it’s pure that Aldana
can also be an enormous underdog towards Amanda, who’s little question one of many
greatest ever, however I actually consider she is going to shock the world identical to
Grasso did.”
The coach and new UFC addition was coy on precisely how Aldana may
play spoiler.
“Irene [has] developed lots [on her] floor sport, however all people
is aware of her sturdy level is boxing. All I can say is that we are going to
convey some surprises to Amanda,” famous the Brazilian jiu-jitsu
coach.
Lopes made a reputation for himself when he stepped in to switch
Bryce
Mitchell towards Evloev 5 days earlier than UFC 288. Of their
three-round affair, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt arguably
gave the Russian the stiffest take a look at of his undefeated profession. Lopes
believes his submissions – and Evloev’s toughness – might need
brought about some hurt, inflicting injury which will have made lesser foes
give up.
“I heard his arm and leg pop, however I knew he would not faucet out,”
Lopes revealed.
Lopes and Evloev earned “Struggle of the Evening” for his or her
back-and-forth encounter, and UFC President Dana White knowledgeable him
that he can be introduced again quickly. When requested to decide on an opponent
to his return to the Octagon, Lopes chosen not one however two
names.
“If I may select a high 15 [opponent] to make one other thrilling
struggle, now with a whole camp, it could be Bryce
Mitchell or Alex
Caceres,” Lopes remarked confidently. “Any one in all them can be
a really good matchup to my fashion, however I’m out there for some other
[fighter the] UFC chooses.”
Born in Manaus, Brazil, to a household of black belts – his father and
uncle are skilled underneath grasp Oswaldo Alves – Lopes began his
MMA profession when he was a purple belt at solely 17 years of age.
“I wanted my father to signal an authorization,” Lopes stated with a
chuckle.
After profitable at a few BJJ occasions and incomes a couple of wins in
MMA, Lopes reached brown belt. It was then that he accepted an
invitation to show BJJ in Mexico. He by no means appeared again.
“First, I went to Cancun, however one 12 months later, the academy closed,
so I moved to Puebla the place I opened my very own academy,” the
28-year-old defined. “Afterward, I used to be invited by Francisco Grasso
to work with Lobo Group. There I began to work along with his niece,
Alexa
Grasso, and Irene
Aldana.”
The $50,000 in bonus cash Lopes earned at UFC 288 was
life-changing, each for him and his household. The featherweight used
a part of the bonus prize of UFC to return again residence and go to his
household. Extra of it went to his household.
“For the final 9 years I’m in Mexico, [so] I simply may go to my
household as soon as,” Lopes stated. “Now, in addition to visiting my mother and father, I
may use a part of the cash I acquired to assist my mom to complete her
dream of ending her home building.”
Lopes believes he has household in every single place, not simply again in Manaus,
but in addition in Mexico. With the ties he has made, he believes the
neighborhood acknowledges him as one in all its personal.
“I’ve to thank Mr. Francisco very a lot,” Lopes graciously acknowledged.
“Once I was simply 24 years previous, he believed in me to be their
jiu-jitsu head coach. Because of him, immediately I say my coronary heart is half
Mexican, half Brazilian. We labored actually exhausting for the final 4
years and the result’s coming.”
In accordance with the fighter, he made a promise to teammate Aldana when
her struggle with Nunes was introduced.
“I instructed Irene that if she conquered the belt towards Amanda, I
may retire because the youngest MMA coach to have two world titles.
That’s only a joke, however regardless of the end result, I’m actually completely happy to
see Mexico as a brand new powerhouse of MMA and [am proud to be] capable of
be a part of it,” Lopes jovially concluded.
