Jean Silva thinks Diego Lopes made a crucial misstep by agreeing to fight him at UFC Fight Night 259.
Silva said he had multiple opponents turn down a matchup with him following his submission of Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314 in April. He thinks Lopes’ team was resisting it as well, but then the fighter publicly mentioned his willingness, and Silva said it was on.
Now they will meet in the five-round headliner of Noche UFC on Sept. 13 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio (ESPN+), and according to Silva (16-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC), the result against Lopes (26-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) was written the moment he signed the contract.
“I understand that for Diego’s manager, fighting me is not something he was going to go for,” Silva told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “But then Diego just went online and made some statements about the fact he would fight me over the weekend if he could. So basically Diego was doing matchmaking, and basically signed on his coffin already. So, screw that. That’s it. He signed on it. If that’s where he wants to be, I’ll just put some dirt on that coffin.”
There has been some back-and-forth between Silva and Lopes since their fight was announced. Lopes said he doesn’t understand why his opponent needs to be so confrontational and what he did to create animosity.
For Silva, he said that Lopes simply rubs him the wrong way.
“It’s no secret to anyone that I don’t like the person that he is, just like Bryce Mitchell. I’m not a fan of Diego, but I don’t have anything against him,” Silva said. “You know when you have a relative? In Brazil, we say, ‘Our saints don’t match.’ Our guardian angels don’t go well together. They don’t like each other. So that’s what we say in Brazil, ‘The saints don’t match. So basically, you know when there’s a relative of yours, every time you see them, this doesn’t go well. I just don’t like this person. We don’t match. We don’t connect. You tolerate them. But you can’t beat them up.
“We’re in a line of business where if our auras don’t match, we can actually beat the hell out of each other. I know there were some things said in the past that were childish. But I wanted this fight, I got it, I’m promoting it and, as it turns out, two people who don’t go well with each other are able to fight. So I get to beat him up.”
Silva has taken the UFC’s 145-pound division by storm, finishing all of his opponents so far to secure the No. 9 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings.
If Silva can get through the No. 4-ranked Lopes, and especially with a finish, then he said he will be undeniable to get the next shot at reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski (27-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC).
“I do believe that I’ll have all the credentials necessary to fight for the title,” Silva said. “Even Volkanovski has said in a couple interviews that he does expect me to win and actually face me for the title towards the end of the year. So guys, by the end of the year, in December, this division, after 10 years since Jose Aldo, we’re going to have a new Brazilian 145-pound UFC champion.”
