The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s second annual “Noche UFC” took place on September 12. This particular event is in honor of Mexican Independence Day, featuring many fighters of Mexican and Latino heritage. Going into the event, the card was stacked with high-profile talent, with the featherweight main event of Diego Lopes and Jean Silva, two fighters seen as potential title contenders. The fight brought an explosive, back and forth brawl that assured fans of a result outside of the judge’s scorecards. Ultimately, the hand raised belonged to that of Diego Lopes, after delivering a brutal spinning elbow, followed by a flurry of punches. This TKO win was big for Lopes, as he lost his last fight against featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski. To be able to bounce back against the rising star and “Fighting Nerds” member Jean Silva in such a fashion, it undoubtedly brought Lopes back into title fight consideration. In his post-fight octagon interview, Lopes reminded everyone that he’s one of the best.
“Saturday night, I show you guys this game has levels. There are levels, and there are high levels. I’m staying at a high level, I proved it tonight”.
With this victory, Lopes has cemented himself as the top of the featherweight division, second to only the champion, Alexander Volkanovski.
This wasn’t the only major fighting event this past weekend. A historic boxing match between super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez, and challenger, Terence Crawford went down at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Crawford moved up two weight divisions for this bout, already putting him in unfamiliar territory. Furthermore, Alvarez has had one of the most historic boxing careers in recent history. But Terence Crawford is simply no pushover. He is a four-division world champion and has defeated Canelo Alvarez in the past. In this particular bout, Crawford entered as the underdog. Fans and experts alike argued that moving up to weight classes would be too much for Crawford. He proved them wrong incredibly. Terence Crawford won by unanimous decision, becoming the undisputed super middleweight champion and the first men’s fighter since 2007 to win undisputed championships in three weight divisions. Crawford used his skill and speed to overwhelm Alvarez throughout the entire fight, cementing a powerful and dominant victory. After the fight, Crawford showed nothing but praise for the former champion.
“He’s a strong competitor. Like I said before, I got nothing but respect for Canelo. I’m a big fan of Canelo and he fought like a champion.”
Crawford returned the personalized belts to Alvarez after the fight, further displaying his respect for his opponent. Terence Crawford’s performance in this fight showed he is worthy of being a historic champion, but his actions of respect outside the ring are what secured his legacy as one of the greats.
