Diego Lopes credits fellow fighter for advice that led to UFC White House win

Diego Lopes opened UFC Freedom 250 at the White House with a scintillating performance, dropping Steve Garcia (19-6) with a brutal left hand midway through round two before finishing him with ground-and-pound strikes.

Lopes (28-8) credited his cornerman Alessandro for the decisive sequence. "The whole credit I give to my brother, Alessandro," Lopes explained in his post-fight interview. "He told me, 'Hey, he connects you, you step back, the second time you stay and hit him with three punches.' When I hit him, I missed the first one, I missed the second one, I connected with No. 3. All thanks to Allesandro."

After a closely contested opening round that Lopes believed he may have lost on the scorecards, his second-round finish provided a spectacular start to the historic card. The Brazilian is now eyeing a temporary move up to lightweight to allow his body recovery time, though he acknowledged he would remain at featherweight if the UFC requested it.

"I want to move to 155 [pounds] for a couple of fights. To fulfill my body," Lopes said. "But if the UFC want me to stay at 145, I need to be more disciplined with my diet again. But I love food." The impressive stoppage and clear path forward leave Lopes positioned for a significant fight, whether he drops back to featherweight or tests himself at lightweight.