Diego Lopes showed Steve Garcia that there are levels in the Ultimate. The Brazilian faced the American in the opening fight of UFC Casa Branca , held this Sunday (14), and, although he is a specialist in jiu-jitsu, he defined the duel in the striking and knocked out his rival in the second round.
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With the victory, Diego Lopes reached 28 career wins, his seventh in the UFC. The Brazilian increased his number of wins by stoppage to 24, erased the loss to Alexander Volkanovski and, as a bonus, curbed the hype surrounding Steve Garcia , who had been on a seven-fight winning streak.
Diego finishes the job with his striking and secures a knockout in the second round.
Diego started the fight walking backward, while Garcia gradually took control of the center of the octagon. Midway through the round, the American tried to surprise with a high kick, but it was blocked by the Brazilian's guard. In a subsequent approach, Lopes connected with a powerful counter elbow, forcing his opponent to retreat.
In another attack, Garcia was surprised by a cross to the guard that made him slip and go to the ground, but he managed to get up quickly. In the final stretch, the American landed a straight punch that made Diego retreat and even attempted a spinning kick, which missed.
The duel returned for the second round with the same scenario: Diego moving backward and Garcia more aggressive. With a greater reach, the American began to connect more jabs, penetrating "El Brabo's" guard. However, in one attack, Diego landed a strong counterpunch that rocked his opponent.
With Garcia already stunned, Lopes launched a series of crosses that knocked his opponent down. He then applied a powerful ground and pound, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Check out the results from UFC Casa Branca.
MAIN CARD – starting at 21 PM (Brasilia time)
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Justin Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria by knockout (corner stoppage) End of Round 4 – Title fight
Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Ciryl Gane defeated Alex Poatan by knockout (left cross) at 1:17 of round 2 – Interim title fight
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Sean O'Malley defeated Aiemann Zahabi by knockout (right straight) at 4:01 of round 2.
Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Josh Hokit defeated Derrick Lewis by knockout (punches) at 4:08 of round 2.
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Mauricio Ruffy defeated Michael Chandler by knockout (punches) at 4:29 of round 1.
Middleweight (up to 83,9 kg): Bo Nickal defeated Kyle Daukaus by knockout (elbows) at 4:34 of round 1.
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Diego Lopes defeated Steve Garcia by knockout (punches) at 2:42 of round 2.
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