Bruno Lopes

Bruno Lopes Pinto, nicknamed 'The Brazilian Cowboy,' is a 32-year-old light heavyweight from Cotia, Sao Paulo who has built his fighting reputation on grappling and submission work. Standing 6'2" with a 74.5" reach, Lopes compiled an impressive 14-2 record in regional Brazilian promotions before stepping onto the Contender Series stage in 2023. He secured a UFC contract that year, then capitalized by winning the LFA Light Heavyweight Championship in early 2024 with an arm-triangle submission. His fighting style centers on wrestling, top control, and a reliable arm-triangle choke, making him a submission threat on the ground and a body-strike finisher who likes to work from clinch and mounted positions.

Since joining the UFC full-time in 2025, however, Lopes has hit a wall. After a solid unanimous decision over undefeated prospect Magomed Gadzhiyasulov in January, he suffered a devastating first-round knockout loss to Dustin Jacoby (a ranked light heavyweight) in May, caught by a left hook. That setback was followed by another loss in March 2026 when Navajo Stirling submitted him via ground-and-pound in round two at UFC Fight Night 271. The back-to-back defeats raise questions about whether his submission-centric, control-oriented approach can hold up against the higher-level striking and wrestling of UFC-ranked competitors.

Lopes remains an active competitor with a solid regional pedigree and championship experience, but his recent two-fight slide suggests he may need to retool or find his level within the promotion. His ground skills and size give him potential as a mid-tier gatekeeper, yet the losses to Jacoby and Stirling underscore that elite light heavyweight strikers are a serious threat to his current game plan.