Diego Lopes kicks off UFC Freedom 250 with brutal KO
A featherweight bout between former title challenger Diego Lopes and No. 9 ranked Steve Garcia kicked off the UFC Freedom 250 event on Sunday.
Lopes entered the fight coming off a loss to champion Alexander Volkanovski in his last outing and hoping to rebound. Garcia made the walk to the octagon riding a seven-fight winning streak looking to add another win.
The two touched gloves and began judging distance. Each pawned with their jabs. Garcia landed first with a leg kick. He pressed forward and connected with a left hand. Lopes fired back with a right that found a home. Lopes delivered a kick to the body. Garcia landed with a right hand. He was able to move in and out of the pocket avoiding counter attacks. Garcia dictated the pace and backed Lopes up. A straight left hand landed for Garcia late in the round. MMAWeekly scored the frame 10-9 for Garcia.
Garcia pressed forward to start the second stanza. Garcia's jab landed early in the round and he began working in leg kicks more often. Garcia connected with a clean left hand. Lopes rushed in with a right hand that landed. Garcia responded with a combination. Lopes landed a right hand that hurt Garcia. Lopes continued to let his hands go. He landed another clean shot that sent Garcia crashing to the canvas. He finished with a series of punches on the ground.
The official time of the knockout finish was 2:42 of the second round.
WHAT A START TO THE NIGHT 😳@DiegoLopesMMA rose to the occasion and found the RD2 TKO!#UFCWhiteHouse LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus!
— UFC (@ufc) June 15, 2026
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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 6:08 PM.