Prospect in the Spotlight (Sept 8-9): Bruno Lopes

Introduction

Tuesday, September 5th, Brazilian light heavyweight prospect Bruno Lopes will be in action for Dana White’s Contender Series, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Brendson Ribeiro. He will be looking for another win, as Lopes looks to impress the UFC brass and score a UFC contract. He represents China Team, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Well-Rounded: Lopes has a good, rounded skill set, which is why he’s been successful thus far. He’s a good, long striker with knockout power and the ability to string combinations together. Five of his 11 wins come by way of knockout, rocking guys on the feet and finishing them on the mat. In addition to that striking, Lopes has a solid submission grappling game from top position. His go-to technique is the arm-triangle choke, which account for three of his four tapout wins. He’s good at getting to a position to finish, which is why he’s only gone to decision twice. Lopes is a tough fighter to prep for.

Needs Improvement

Step Up in Competition: To this point, Lopes has not really had a legit challenger, even though he has fought a couple guys with solid experience. He’s spent his career in Brazil and mostly taken on lower-level competition. Even the experienced guy’s he has fought don’t appear to be major league guys. On his plate now is Ribeiro, who is experienced but looks to be an enhancement fighter to get Lopes a look from the UFC, who likely sign him after this fight.

Outlook

Top-20 Light Heavyweight: This is definitely a conservative outlook, as Lopes could eventually sniff around the top-10. However, I think it’s a definite minimum that Lopes becomes a top-20 light heavyweight in the UFC. He’s clearly talented and to this point in his career, has not had many problems in the cage. He’s a finisher with a good overall skill set. He’s also a LFA Champion, which basically makes him a shoo-in to get into the UFC. I think he can beat some guys on the roster now, and as he improves, he will be even more successful as he moves up the ladder.