Diego Lopes smashes Jean Silva with spinning back elbow to steal main event at UFC Noche. Diego Lopes entered the UFC Noche main event as the underdog, but he delivered the performance of the night. Lopes unleashed a perfectly timed spinning back elbow that dropped Jean Silva in the second round.
On Saturday, September 13, 2025, the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas set the stage for UFC Noche, with Brazilian standouts Diego Lopes and Jean “Lord” Silva clashing in the main event. Both fighters entered the octagon carrying serious momentum and a reputation for delivering highlight-reel performances.
Lopes has quickly become a fan favorite thanks to his aggressive style and finishing ability. In April 2025, he challenged Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 314, going the distance in a five-round decision loss. Prior to that, he earned two strong wins, a decision over Brian Ortega in September 2024 and another decision victory over Dan Ige in June 2024.
His opponent Jean Silva has been making waves in the UFC featherweight division with an impressive run of dominant performances over the past year. Silva’s most recent outing came on April 12, 2025, when he stunned fans by submitting Bryce Mitchell with a slick ninja choke in the second round. Just weeks earlier, in February 2025, Silva delivered a highlight-reel knockout against Melsik Baghdasaryan, finishing the fight late in the opening round. Silva also secured a doctor’s stoppage TKO against Drew Dober in the third round, further underlining his toughness and finishing ability.
From the opening bell, Lopes showed his intent by dragging the fight to the canvas and controlling Silva with sharp ground work. Early in the round he dragged Silva to the canvas and settled into top position, using tight pressure and short, heavy elbows to open up damage. Silva threatened with strikes when he could, but Lopes’ top control kept him working and prevented Silva from fully finding his range. Lopes came close to ending the fight in the opening round. After securing a body lock, he tossed Silva to the canvas and quickly moved into mount, where he unleashed a series of elbows that split Silva open and forced him to absorb heavy damage. For a moment, it looked like Lopes was on the verge of a stoppage, but Silva managed to scramble free and return to his feet. Silva fired back with a sharp front kick straight to Lopes’ face, drawing a loud reaction from crowd.
Round 2 started with Silva coming out sharper and answering with crisp punches and heavy low kicks that had the crowd buzzing and seemed to shift momentum back his way. He began to string combinations together and looked dangerous on the feet. Silva countered with a stiff straight right hand that blasted Lopes and put him on wobbly legs for a moment. A brief slip gave Lopes the opening to shoot in and land another takedown, though this time Silva quickly scrambled back to his feet.
From there, Silva’s confidence began to grow as he connected with sharp punches and pressed forward, hunting for a knockout of his own. Just as the Brazilian seemed to be turning momentum, Lopes unleashed a perfectly timed spinning back elbow that sent Silva crashing to the canvas. Lopes immediately swarmed with punches until the referee stepped in at 4:48 of Round 2 .
“I tell you guys, Saturday night I’m going to show you guys, there’s levels,” Lopes said after his latest win. “I’m high level. I proved it tonight. I tried it backstage. I prepared for that. I knew that was the exact moment when I needed to do that.”
“I’m ready for the next opponent,” Lopes said. “If the UFC thinks I needs one more fight, I’ll take one more fight. Give me the next guy.”
Diego Lopes didn’t just steal the spotlight at UFC Noche, he showed that he has officially arrived as a true contender in the featherweight division. With a highlight-reel spinning back elbow and a dominant performance from start to finish, Lopes proved he’s far more than an underdog story.
