Diego Lopes fires back at Jean Silva questioning his national identity ahead of their Noche UFC clash: "I find that very silly"

Diego Lopes recently responded to Jean Silva questioning his national identity ahead of their Noche UFC showdown in September. Lopes made it clear that Silva wasn't the first person to take shots at his ethnicity, and he doesn't like taking such criticism to heart.

Lopes was born in Manaus, Brazil. However, he's been living and fighting out of Puebla, Mexico, for a decade. He notably represents both countries during his fights and carries both flags during his walkouts.

While many have lauded Lopes for representing both nations, Silva wasn't happy and questioned his ethnicity during an interview with MMA Fighting last month. He said:

"Diego hasn’t been able to look at my face,” Silva said through a translator. “He hasn’t looked at me in the eye, ever... They’re gonna watch MMA at the highest level on a great night [Noche UFC]... And also, they’re going to see someone who boxes like Canelo beating up on a fighter that doesn’t know whether he’s Mexican or Brazilian." [H/t: MMA Fighting]

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Responding to Silva's comments during an interview with MMA Junkie in Spanish, Lopes stated:

"I find that very silly. Apart from it all, we're in a sport that's global... Believe me: I've been hearing this nonsense for so many years from people like, 'Oh, he's not Mexican. He's not Brazilian.' I've heard it from both sides, from Hispanic people to Brazilians. It's all good. I don't care... One thing is certain, though: The day of the fight I will walk out with the flag of Brazil and Mexico – whether they like it or not. It's that simple." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Watch the full interview below:

When Diego Lopes reflected on his first MMA fight as a 17-year-old boy

Diego Lopes looked back on his first MMA fight as a teenager before his title fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314 in April. Lopes revealed that he didn't even know it was going to be an MMA fight until his brother told him at the last minute.

In an episode of the UFC Countdown series, Lopes reflected on the beginning of his journey and said:

"I didn’t plan on competing in MMA. My brother was already fighting—he was already a professional. One day, I was at home, just on the computer, and he told me: You’re going to fight in a month. I said, 'Well, that’s fine. It’s jiu-jitsu, right?' And he said, 'No, it’s an MMA fight.' Then he told me, 'Don’t worry, you know jiu-jitsu, so there’s not a problem. You can fight.' It was like, 'Grab your **** and go.' I was 17 years old. I started MMA in 2012. I went straight to professional. And that is when my professional career really took off."

Catch Diego Lopes' comments below (12:15):

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Edited by Nishant Zende.