UFC featherweight Diego Lopes made a strategic decision that would prove crucial to his recent dominant performance against Jean Silva. He ended up dedicating five weeks to pure wrestling fundamentals with Olympic champion David Taylor in Oklahoma.
During his appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, Lopes revealed the specific nature of his training camp preparation, which included an intensive wrestling block that focused on the basics rather than MMA-specific techniques.
Lopes first met David Taylor in 2024, and the Olympic champion invited him to train at Oklahoma State University. “I meet David Taylor 2024. This guy beat me to train with him one time in Westland,” Lopes explained during the podcast.
What made this training partnership unique was Lopes’ specific request when he arrived in Oklahoma. “I remember… David asking me okay, you you want wrestling for MMA or only wrestling? I said no, only wrestling. Because wrestling in MMA is different, you know. But I try learning the basics from wrestling, you know. Because I think this helped me a lot to understand the game more,” Lopes said.
The Brazilian-born, Mexico-based contender made a conscious decision to focus on fundamental wrestling techniques rather than MMA-specific wrestling applications. His reasoning was rooted in building a stronger foundation for his overall game.
“I need in general. This is not for one specific fight. I think this is for me,” Lopes explained when asked about his motivation for the wrestling camp. He identified a specific weakness in his skill set: “I trained for two weeks. After that, I told my manager and my coaches, okay I need you back to Oklahoma. Because I think I have good jiujitsu, but I don’t have good takedowns. I need to improve my takedowns. David helped me with this, you know.”
The approach paid dividends in his fight against Silva, where Lopes demonstrated improved takedown execution and ground control. “The takedown was so quick and like the transition to full mount, the control too. No, I think this made the difference for the finish,” he reflected on his performance.
Beyond the technical improvements, the wrestling training had a profound psychological impact on Lopes. “I have more confidence now for the scrambles, the takedown. I’m not scared for the scrambles,” he said, describing how the foundational training changed his approach to grappling exchanges.
This confidence was evident in his victory over Silva, where he seamlessly transitioned from striking to grappling, securing a dominant position and finishing the fight with ground and pound.
Working with Taylor, who won Olympic gold and multiple world championships at different weight classes, provided Lopes with elite-level instruction.
“David help me with this, you know, like I think he is one of the best guys in America…,” Lopes said.
