UFC Freedom 250 results, highlights: Diego Lopes scores crushing knockout of Steve Garcia

UFC Freedom 250 kicked off with a featherweight bout between Steve Garcia and two-time title challenger Diego Lopes. Despite Garcia having early success, Lopes kicked off the fights from the White House South Lawn with a bang, scoring a second round knockout.

Both fighters opened throwing big early punches, with Garcia landing a good straight left before Lopes returned fire. Garcia used his length well, throwing jabs and straight kicks at Lopes' legs. Lopes held back a bit as Garcia tried to work looping right hooks around his guard. By the end of the opening frame, Lopes was showing damage to his leg and his nose appeared to have been bloodied.

Garcia continued to bounce in and out early in the second, popping off quick, straight shots and leg kicks as Lopes was stuck reacting instead of attacking. Lopes finally started to come forward and land some of his own shots and Garcia started to fire back.

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Out of nowhere, Lopes' switch to an attacking style paid off in a big way. A short left hook knocked Garcia to a knee. Garcia tried to continue to fire shots, but a hard right and another hook to the chin put Garcia on his back.

Lopes dropped some big ground and pound that left Garcia out cold, awarding Lopes a big win in the first fight on White House grounds.

The win was Lopes' first since losing his second shot at Alexander Volkanovski and the featherweight championship.

"I know Steve is so dangerous in the first round," Lopes said after his win. "In the corner, my brother said, you need two or three punches to change it. I said that I can do this. Nobody can beat me in a firefight. If you come to the center of the cage with me, I'm knocking everybody out."