Diego Lopes
Active 2023–present · rated in 2 editions · peak overall 86.0
Scouting report
Aggressive submission hunting and heavy looping power hooks made Diego Lopes an immediate factor in the featherweight division. Born in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil and fighting out of Puebla, Mexico, Lopes reached title contention with victories over Sodiq Yusuff and Brian Ortega. His offense is defined by a 94 BJJ rating and an 88 Boxing score.
Peak ratings
By edition
Diego Lopes, from Manaus by way of Mexico
Diego Lopes was born in Manaus in Brazil and started jiu-jitsu competition at seven, earning a purple belt at 16. At 19 his instructor offered him a teaching job in Mexico, and he moved there and taught BJJ while building his fight career. He won the LUX Fight League featherweight title in 2019, and in 2021 he lost a technical decision to Joanderson Brito on Dana White's Contender Series. His Octagon debut on five days' notice against Movsar Evloev earned Fight of the Night.
Every Lopes rating, explained
Boxing. 88, his second best rating. He dropped Sodiq Yusuff twice and won by TKO in the first round in April 2024.
Kickboxing. 82. Enough to keep pace with strikers, and he finished Jean Silva with a spinning elbow in 2025.
Wrestling. 80, his lowest rating. It is still a strong number, and his best work comes elsewhere.
BJJ. 94, the top of his card. His first round armbar of Gavin Tucker in 2023 earned a Performance of the Night bonus.
Strength. 82. He has enough power to score first round finishes of Tucker and Pat Sabatini.
Durability. 86. He went the distance with Evloev on his debut and again with Volkanovski in two title fights.
Cardio. 86. Fights with Evloev, Alexander Volkanovski and Jean Silva all brought Fight of the Night awards.
Fight IQ. 86. He turned a debut loss into a run of bonuses, adjusting to the bigger stage.
Jiu-jitsu at 94 is the best on his card
BJJ is his highest rating, and the record is a good match. The Gavin Tucker armbar in the first round of 2023 won a Performance of the Night bonus. He started competing in jiu-jitsu at seven, and the ground game still looks like the base of everything he does.
Wrestling at 80 is the only real gap
Wrestling is the lowest number on his card. That is a relative complaint, since 80 is still strong, but every other rating sits at 82 or higher. Evloev beat him by decision on his debut, so a fighter who can keep the fight on the mat and avoid the submissions has an opening. Pick him where his grappling and hands can decide it.
Keep exploring
Closest featherweight profiles to Diego Lopes, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Brian Ortegabest bjj 94 · weakest wrestling 74
- Renato Moicanobest bjj 88 · weakest strength 76
- Zabit Magomedsharipovbest kickboxing 90 · weakest strength 80
- Arnold Allenbest boxing 88 · weakest strength 80
- Featherweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Diego Lopes's strongest attribute, BJJ.
Draft Diego Lopes into your build
Diego Lopes enters the pool on any spin landing on featherweight between 2023 and present. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Diego Lopes is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Diego Lopes's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.