Sep 13, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, UNITED STATES; Diego Lopes (red gloves) fights Jean Silva (blue gloves) during Noche UFC at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

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Diego Lopes Claps Back At ‘Lucky Shot’ Claims After Stunning Spinning Elbow Finish Rocks The UFC World!

Sep 13, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, UNITED STATES; Diego Lopes (red gloves) fights Jean Silva (blue gloves) during Noche UFC at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Every time someone lands a highlight-reel finish, keyboard warriors emerge to dismiss it as a fluke. Diego Lopes found himself dealing with exactly this situation after his brutal spinning elbow knockout of Jean Silva at Noche UFC in San Antonio. The Brazilian featherweight had just pulled off one of the most devastating finishes of the year. But instead of universal praise, he faced accusations that his victory was nothing more than a lucky shot. Critics pointed to Silva’s aggressive rushing style and claimed Lopes simply got fortunate with the timing of his elbow.

But Diego Lopes wasn’t about to let anyone diminish his moment of glory without a fight. The former title challenger took to social media with receipts that proved his spinning elbow finish wasn’t some random act of violence but a carefully planned technique he had been perfecting for weeks. Lopes made it crystal clear that luck had nothing to do with his victory, posting proof that would silence even his harshest critics.

Diego Lopes Shares The Method Behind The Madness

Lopes shared Instagram photos of himself practicing the spinning back elbow technique in the locker room before his fight with Silva. The images showed him working the move with his coach and UFC featherweight Austin Bashi. This proved that this wasn’t some desperate Hail Mary attempt. His caption drove the point home perfectly:

“I’m not surprised. We did that during camp and also before going out to fight. Nothing here is luck.”

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A post shared by Diego Lopes (@diegolopesmma)

The Brazilian and his team had clearly studied Silva’s aggressive forward pressure and identified the spinning elbow as the perfect counter weapon. When Silva came rushing in during the second round, Lopes was ready with a technique he had rehearsed hundreds of times.

Spinning elbow finishes have become increasingly common in recent UFC events. Just last month at UFC 319, fans witnessed two spinning back elbow knockouts on the main card alone. Carlos Prates, who happens to be Silva’s teammate at Fighting Nerds, knocked out Geoff Neal with the exact same technique. Later that same night, Lerone Murphy used a spinning elbow to ruin Aaron Pico’s highly anticipated UFC debut. Both fighters earned $50,000 performance bonuses for their spectacular finishes, while Lopes took home a double bonus worth $100,000 for his dominant performance against Silva.

The timing of Lopes’ knockout couldn’t have been more perfect. He was coming off his first professional loss to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314 in April. Many fighters struggle to bounce back from title fight defeats. But Lopes used that setback as motivation, clearly spending his training camp working on new weapons and counters that would catch his opponents off guard. Now, only time will tell who he will fight next!

(Image Credit: Daniel Dunn – Imagn Images)

Diego Lopes

Jean Silva

Noche UFC 3

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!