Lopes, Silva set to light up third ‘Noche UFC’

Diego Lopes and Jean Silva are set to light up the third ‘Noche UFC’ Fight Night when they meet in the featherweight main event, set for the Frost Bank Centre in San Antonio, Texas, on the morning of Sunday 14 September 2025.

Lopes (26-7) comes into this clash on the back of a unanimous decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski in a Featherweight Championship match at UFC 314 back in April – a result which snapped a five-match winning streak.

The 30-year-old has a mix of Brazilian and Mexican heritage, and his status as a representative of the latter country in an event celebrating their independence day has been questioned, though Lopes remains defiant.

“I’ve heard it from both sides, from Hispanic people to Brazilians. It’s all good. I don’t care,” said Lopes. “I know the people who support me and that are with me. I remember the people who were with me when I literally had nothing. I let people talk.

“One thing is certain, though: The day of the fight I will walk out with the flag of Brazil and Mexico – whether they like it or not. It’s that simple.”

Silva (16-2) is on a 13-fight win streak, most recently submitting Bryce Mitchell (also at UFC 314 in April), and says he is determined to continue his rise in the division by emphatically defeating Lopes.

“Diego just went online and made some statements about the fact that he would fight me over the weekend if he could,” noted the fighter nicknamed ‘Lord’. “So basically Diego was doing matchmaking and basically signed on his coffin.”

The rest of the main card features Rob Font v David Martinez in the bantamweight division; Rafa Garcia takes on Jared Gordon in a lightweight clash; a middleweight match pits Kelvin Gastelum against Dustin Stoltzfus; and a bantamweight opener sees Santiago Luna face Quang Le.

Noche UFC: Lopes vs. Silva – Main card

- Main event: Featherweight: Diego Lopes v Jean Silva

- Bantamweight: Rob Font v David Martinez

- Lightweight: Rafa Garcia v Jared Gordon

- Middleweight: Kelvin Gastelum v Dustin Stoltzfus

- Bantamweight: Santiago Luna v Quang Le