Lopes started jiu-jitsu at seven and had his purple belt by sixteen, according to a Liverpoolbuzz feature on his career. He moved to São Paulo in 2014 chasing better training partners, then relocated to Mexico the following year and co-founded the Brazilian Warriors gym with friend and training partner Alessandro Costa. That gym eventually connected him to Lobos Gym in Guadalajara and the Grasso family. Lopes appeared on season five of Dana White’s Contender Series, dropping a technical decision to Joanderson Brito after an accidental eye poke, per UFC.com. He fought more than half his regional career in Mexico before the UFC called.
The style is grappling-first, but the finishing tools cut both ways. He lands 3.83 significant strikes per minute at 51.94% accuracy, with 50% takedown accuracy. Of his 27 wins, 23 are finishes — an unusually high rate at the elite level. He hunts submissions off scrambles, throws compact hooks in close, and walks opponents down rather than circling. The weakness showed up against Volkanovski twice: when a top featherweight refuses to fight in his pocket, Lopes can get out-paced over five rounds.
His UFC run started with a short-notice loss to Movsar Evloev at UFC 288 in May 2023, a performance that got him the contract anyway. Then five straight: a first-round submission of Gavin Tucker, a 90-second knockout of Pat Sabatini at UFC 295, an 89-second finish of Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300, decisions over Dan Ige and Brian Ortega, and a second-round knockout of Jean Silva at Noche UFC in September 2025. The Silva finish bought him the title shot. He lost both Volkanovski fights by unanimous decision, at UFC 314 in April 2025 and UFC 325 in Sydney in January 2026.
Coming off a second title defeat, Lopes sits among the top featherweight contenders without the belt. Yahoo Sports reported a possible rubber match with Volkanovski later in 2026, with Evloev and Lerone Murphy waiting as undefeated challengers. UFC.com has confirmed Lopes is scheduled to open UFC Freedom 250, the promotion’s first White House card. He’s 31, he has 23 career finishes, and the fanbase splits between Brazil and Mexico. Even after losing the two biggest nights of his career, he’s still one of the most watchable fighters in the division.