Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva—Noche UFC 3 Main Event Preview, Predictions Kicking off September 13th, 2025, the UFC Featherweight division will be filled with fireworks when Diego Lopes squares off against Jean Silva in the main event of Noche UFC 3, held at the Frost Bank Centre, San Antonio, Texas. Scheduled for 10:00 PM (UTC), Lopes and Silva will battle it out in an interesting five-round featherweight competition that should be a classic striker vs. grappler matchup, with both men trying to take a massive step towards title contention in the future.

The Noche UFC series has become a staple yearly celebration of combat sports that aligns perfectly with Mexican Independence Day weekend and highlights a cultural significance behind each of their fights.

This year in the main event we have Diego Lopes (26-7) vs. Jean Silva (16-2), which is a potential title eliminator. For Lopes, this fight is a chance for redemption after a valiant effort in a decision loss to Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title. Attaining a 13-win streak, Silva will try to deepen his claim to a much-deserved top rank. to extend Silva’s take should prove pivotal in setting the stage for a seamless takeoff: ‘Intensifying’ inflating national pride coupled with a boisterous crowd in San Antonio will provide the ultimate toppings to the Fight of the Year cake.’

If participants want to win, they will prefer to stay within their expertise. When standing, Silva has a good chance at winning. If they go to the ground, Lopes is the favourite.

This fight is impossibly close. Silva has the edge early based on the knockout submission prop on Lopes, but Lopes has the edge late based on cardio, grappling, and experience.

From an analytical perspective, this matchup is a classic style matchup. Jean Silva is an offensive force and he's got knockout power and aggressive offensive pressure that's been too much for inopportune opponents. His limited five-round experience, and 'fading' if finishes don't come within the first three rounds, offers Lopes some vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, Diego Lopes is already seasoned from competing at the championship level and has gone 25 minutes against Volkanovski, so he knows how to pace himself throughout the fight. Lopes excels in chaos, is comfortable while exchanging strikes, and can rely on dragging Silva into the grappling, where he should threaten Silva with submissions. This presents a high-risk, high-reward bet, as, sure, Silva probably wins early but however, Lopes is a sound investment in the long run, given his durability and grappling.

The Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva main event at Noche UFC 3 (September 13th, 2025) is going to be one of the most enjoyable featherweight battles of the year! Lopes' grappling and durability vs. Silva's knockout ability is going to make for one potential war!