Daniel Cormier has big praise for Diego Lopes following Noche UFC win

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has praised Diego Lopes following his big win at Noche UFC last weekend.

On Saturday night, Diego Lopes got himself back in the win column – and he did it in style. He overcame adversity in his main event against Jean Silva and in the end, pulled off the kind of finish that reminded us all why he’s such a highly thought-of fighter in the featherweight division.

RELATED: Noche UFC 3 Bonus Report: Diego Lopes takes home two bonuses

While he may have lost to Alexander Volkanovski, there’s every chance that one more big win leads to Lopes earning another crack at the title. Either way, though, defeating Silva after what was a pretty intense build-up would’ve meant a great deal to him.

In a recent video, Daniel Cormier explained why he was so impressed by what Lopes was able to accomplish in San Antonio.

Cormier praises Lopes after Noche UFC

“Diego Lopes is the real deal, man,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “We always knew he was good, but tonight showed that he is on a different level than most guys, so we should not take too much from the fight against Volkanovski. He goes in the fighter meeting, ‘I learned a lot. I know I lost,’ and nobody wants to lose, but what do you do with the information you gain whenever you lose?

“That dude just had what may have been his greatest performance ever,” Cormier said of Lopes. “He was in there with a young, hungry guy – a guy who had not tasted defeat, a guy who truly believed that he was just going to outclass him, and that was not the case.

“Diego Lopes went out there, did his thing early, got a takedown, was able to control Jean Silva – something we have not seen Jean Silva deal with over the course of his UFC career.

“Jean Silva survived, and then fought well coming back at Diego Lopes. It’s not like Jean Silva just rolled over. Diego Lopes had a game, tough guy in front of him, and he made the best of what he could do. The striking in this fight was amazing, the willingness to stand and trade was amazing, and the finish was amazing.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie