Lopes is fresh off his first title shot at UFC 314 in Miami against Alexander Volkanovski. Although Lopes lost, he pushed the Australian for five rounds and had his biggest moment at the end of the second round when he knocked Volkanovski down in the waning seconds of the frame. The decision loss was Lopes’ first since his debut, and he is keen on staying in the title picture with a win over the surging Silva.
“Lord” Silva has been the belle of the ball since earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2023. He opened his UFC account with three knockout wins in 2024, including victories over Charles Jourdain and Drew Dober. He kept the momentum rolling into 2025, collecting a first-round knockout against Melsik Baghdasaryan followed with a show-stealing submission win over Bryce Mitchell seven weeks later at UFC 314.
Silva’s first career main event opportunity also presents his biggest challenge yet, but a win over Lopes could push the Fighting Nerds representative into the featherweight title picture in a real way. Lopes, on the other hand, can further entrench himself in the division’s elite with a bounce-back performance.
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