Off ‘best year of his life’, UFC’s Gustavo Lopez hopes to shed chaos, continue success

UFC bantamweight Gustavo Lopez is no stranger to pre-fight chaos. As a sophomore at Wapato High School in Washington state, he was on his way to the Tacoma Dome for his first appearance at the state wrestling tournament when all the stoplights went out. 

“We couldn’t get through,” he recalled in a recent interview with Fight Night Picks. 

Nearly late for his first state wrestling match, Gustavo Lopez hopped out of the car, threw on his singlet and ran up to the gates. 

“I’ve got to wrestle,” he proclaimed before hopping over the barriers and running to his mat. 

“I lost that one,” he now says with a smile. 

Before his first amateur mixed martial arts fight, he planned to corner a friend. But when a fighter dropped out the day of the event, Lopez stepped in. While wearing a mouthpiece molded that day, Lopez knocked out his opponent in seven seconds, the Yakima Herald reported. 

Chaos followed Gustavo Lopez to his professional career, too. On just two days notice, Lopez agreed to fight Jose Alday for the Combate bantamweight title. He cut 17 pounds, before winning by first-round TKO.

Fifteen months later, after Lopez had defended his Combate title once, the UFC called. They needed a short-notice replacement to fight Merab Dvalishvili. Lopez had to cut 23 pounds to meet the 140-pound catchweight limit. While he lost that one by unanimous decision last June, he signed a four-fight deal with the sport’s biggest promotion. 

He had finally made it. But that didn’t mean the Allstate Insurance mayhem guy stopped following Lopez. 

Just weeks before his most recent fight — a first-round win over Anthony Birchak — Lopez was diagnosed with COVID-19. He still hasn’t regained his sense of smell. 

“I’m kind of getting used to this craziness,” said Lopez, who speaks with such an overwhelming sense of joy, you can’t help but mirror his infectious smile. “I kind of love it.”

Lopez (12-5) will fight the third fight of his four-fight UFC contract on March 20 against Adrian Yanez (12-3) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. So far, his training camp has gone swimmingly. 

“I feel so ready,” the 31-year-old said. “I know Adrian Yanez looks like a super tough up-and-coming kid, but it’s my time, man. He’ll have to wait.” 

Lopez, who now calls Las Vegas home, understands 2020 hit many people hard. For Lopez, it was anything but. Since joining the UFC, he has reaped the benefits of the UFC Performance Institute and feels he’s in the best shape of his life. 

During a 20-minute Zoom interview, his characteristically bright smile never leaves his face. 

“I am truly doing the best I’ve ever done in my life right now,” Lopez said. “I am blessed with amazing people in my life, an amazing coaching staff; it’s just incredible. I am truly happy.” 

Lopez said he wants to fight as much as he can in 2021, get another contract with the UFC and continue to give back to the community. He recently sponsored a 7-on-7 football team to help kids whose high school sports’ seasons were canceled because of COVID-19. Gustavo Lopez has started his own clothing line and is advising a friend how to do the same. He is using his Bachelor’s degree in finance from Menlo College, where he wrestled in college, to its full extent. 

His most simple path to success though is to just keep winning. 

“I want to fucking rip people, man,” he says. “I want to get highlight reels; I want to get bonuses. I want people to make sure they know I am one of the top fighters out there.” 

He also wants to compete for the Bantamweight title one day, the same strap Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan are competing for Saturday. Sterling is a teammate of Lopez’s at Xtreme Couture and Yan is managed by Lopez’s agent, Daniel Rubenstein. 

As for a prediction in one of the three title fights Saturday?

“I think I’m going for Sterling to bring that title back to Xtreme,” Lopez said. “It’s an amazing fight. I’m excited to see what happens. But at the end of the day, that’s the title I want for myself.”