UFC returns to Frost Bank Center in San Antonio to celebrate Mexican Independence Day with a highly anticipated featherweight clash between No. 2 ranked contender Diego Lopes and No. 10 Jean Silva. Also on the card, Top 5 strawweights with title aspirations collide as No. 2 ranked Tatiana Suarez faces No. 4 ranked Amanda Lemos. NOCHE UFC: LOPES vs SILVA takes place Saturday, September 13 in San Antonio and will be available exclusively on the ESPN App. The prelims will start at 3pm ET/12 pm PT, followed by the main card at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT.

Lopes is an all-action fighter who’s dangerous everywhere. His best offense on the feet comes from close quarters, particularly when breaking the clinch with big swings. On the canvas, Lopes is an outstanding grappler, capable of locking up quick submissions and forcing his opponents onto the defensive even from bottom position. In this bout, Lopes faces an interesting dynamic of range. On one hand, he’s the taller and longer fighter, and Lopes certainly has a nasty 1-2 that could capitalize on that length. At the same time, I would argue Silva is actually the more fluid range striker, so standing at distance and getting blasted by kicks and counters might not behoove the former title challenger. To help mitigate some of that smoothness, Lopes needs to feint and chop the lead leg. Silva stands wide, so if Lopes can get him pulling back just a bit, he can looking to chop into the calf.

Silva has the venom to really make those punches sting. He’s utterly unafraid of a one-to-one exchange, fully confident that his power, chin, and composure will win that trade every time. He’s been right so far, even in his Lightweight brawl versus the durable and hard-hitting Drew Dober. Despite bullying his opponents with raw athleticism, there’s definitely craft and skill to Silva’s game as well — he’s no one-trick pony. To best take advantage of this flaw, Silva has to be light on his feet, ready to withdraw. A little patience will go a long way in convincing Lopes to reach for him, and he should be bouncing forward with quick shots in the hopes of a touch, pull, return sequence.

Lopes is clearly the most dangerous and most well-rounded fighter Silva has ever faced, and he deserves respect for beating a much better class of opposition. At the same time, I don’t like the style match up for him. It reminds me of his Contenders Series loss to Joanderson Brito in that his game has no real solution to a superior kickboxer who can match his athleticism and deny his takedowns. Realistically, Lopes needs to a knock down or knockout to win. He certainly hits hard, and Silva is not afraid to take chances himself. However, it feels more likely that Lopes ends up on the wrong side of some powerful shots early on and settles into a punishing defeat.