Jean Silva questions if Diego Lopes is ‘Mexican or Brazilian’ before UFC Noche showdown

Tyler Durden 2025.07.03 3 min read

UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes — Jean Silva | Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Jean Silva and Diego Lopes will collide in a Brazilian featherweight war to top the Noche UFC card on Sept. 13, but Silva is making sure to build a rivalry with the Mexico-based star.

After taking on social media to bet his fight purse that Lopes won’t take him down, a message to which Lopes didn’t respond, Silva sat down with MMA Fighting’s Jose Youngs during UFC 317 week in Las Vegas to take it up a notch.

“Diego hasn’t been able to look at my face,” Silva said through a translator. “He hasn’t looked at me in the eye, ever. You know what, regardless of the rivalry or what’s been said at the fight, every athlete there is going to be representing Mexico and the independence of Mexico. I mean, even more so than me beating him up.”

Noche UFC will take place in San Antonio on the same night Canelo Alvarez and battles Terence Crawford in a highly-anticipated boxing showdown at the Allegiant stadium, and Silva vows to show that his hands are not far from Canelo’s.

“They’re gonna watch MMA at the highest level on a great night,” Silva said when asked why fans should watch his fight instead of Canelo-Crawford. “And also, they’re going to see someone who boxes like Canelo beating up on a fighter that doesn’t know whether he’s Mexican or Brazilian.”

Silva is on a roll in the UFC after five straight stoppages in a span of 15 months, capped off by a flawless victory over Bryce Mitchell hours before Lopes came up short in his attempt to win the featherweight title versus Alexander Volkanovski. Silva called for a shot at the belt after that night in April, but needs to get past Lopes first.

The other request made that night could become a reality, though, as Silva and his partner Carol said that UFC CEO Dana White has agreed to pay for popular Brazilian singer Belo to perform on his wedding.

“Dana’s gonna pay for it,” Carol said. “He’s gonna cover it. All it’s missing right now is a date.”

“The boss is gonna pay for the wedding, he’s gonna pay for the singer,” Silva doubled down. “God willing, it’s going to be in Las Vegas at the UFC PI.”

The couple had the opportunity to attend a Belo concert after the UFC 314 victory and were invited on stage by Belo in May. The UFC fighter said he would take a page out of Carla Esparza’s book and walk to the altar wearing the UFC belt after he wins it, and have Bruce Buffer introduce them like he did in the past for Michael Bisping.

“I want the same, Jean,” Carol said.

Com o coração acelerado, ainda tentando entender o que vivemos: @cantorbelo realizou nosso maior sonho. Nos chamou ao palco, nos homenageou com palavras que marcaram nossa história. Um momento eterno. Obrigado por tudo, Belo! pic.twitter.com/deUoP9vEdw

— Jean de Lord Silva (@Jeansilvamma96) May 3, 2025