Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at TUF Brazil 4 bantamweight finalist Dileno Lopes as he takes on fellow finalist Reginaldo Viera at UFC 190 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dileno Lopes Hometown: Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil Age: 27 Height: 5’5” Reach: Weight Class: Bantamweight Camp: Novo Uniao Manaus Career Record: 19-1 Key Wins: None Key Losses: None Background The best prospect out of the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil, Lopes has only lost once in his eight-year professional career. He’s on the quest for redemption after being eliminated by Rony Jason in a fight to get into the house (at featherweight) on the first season of TUF Brazil. Strengths
- Good left hand
- Uses a lot of leg kicks to the lower part of the body
- Very good in transitions
- Sets up opportunities well to secure submissions
Weaknesses
- Lacks one punch knockout power
- Too aggressive with leg kicks at time and loses position
- Needs to improve striking defense Undersized for the weight class
Matchup with Reginaldo Vieira In the TUF Brazil 4 bantamweight final, Brazilians Dinelo Lopes and Reginaldo Vieira square off. While Vieira is the significantly older fighter, Lopes is the more experienced with 19 wins and just one defeat. Lopes is certainly the more skilled and fluid fighter with a decent wrestling game with excellent transitions that lead to quality submission attempts. Vieira is a grinder who can certainly pack some power on the feet and fights hard for the entire fight. He fights with emotion and showed on TUF that he’s capable of winning fights. Lopes is the rightful favorite in this one as he hasn’t show much weaknesses in his recent fights. He’s younger, more athletic, and it will be tough for Vieira to beat him in a three round contest. With that said, Lopes isn’t worth a bet at the current line of -320 given Vieira’s ability to outperform his skill set. UFC Ceiling Dileno Lopes is a fairly decent fighter given his experience in the sport. He appears fairly well-rounded, but he is rather small for the weight class. If he makes the move to flyweight, I think he has the skill set to have a decent career in the UFC. At bantamweight, he’d be forced to face fighters who could physically break him down and capable of landing strikes with much more power. Fight Film Check out Dileno Lopes in some of his most recent fights: Dileno Lopes vs. Matheus Nicolau Dileno Lopes vs. Rafael Nunes