Casual’s guide to Noche UFC 3 this weekend

San Antonio, Texas --- UFC returns this weekend for its third instalment of Noche UFC- of UFC Night -to celebrate Mexican Independence.

Stepping down from the spectacle that was UFC Sphere last year, this year's celebration takes place at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. Headlining the card are dynamic Brazilian fighters Diego Lopes and Jean Silva.

For those casual fans watching, there isn't much name value on the card. That said, there's still plenty to look forward to, whether you're a fan of knockouts, or passing of the torch-type fights.

Noche UFC 3's main event can't go wrong

Let's get the obvious out of the way. Silva vs. Lopes is one of the most violent matchups the UFC can make in the featherweight division. A win for Lopes puts him one step closer to challenging the title again, while a win for Silva could see him challenge Alexander Volkanovski in his very next fight.

Silva holds the longest active finishing streak with five, comprised of four knockouts and one submission. He's entered a third round once in his UFC career and hopefully fans will have some questions answered about his abilities this weekend when he fights Lopes.

Despite having a lethal submission game, Lopes is more than happy to bite down on his gumshield and swing for the bleachers. Both guys in this matchup are looking for statement victories, and neither man has put on a boring performance in the Octagon. It's worth watching.

An unexpected but exciting co-main event

As we know, Raul Rosas Jr. pulled out of his fight with Rob Font, but his replacement is just as good, if not more exciting to watch. Stepping in on short notice for Noche UFC's co-main event is DWCS graduate David Martinez, a seriously lethal blitz striker with 10 knockouts in 12 wins.

19-UFC fight veteran Font is about as tough a challenge as it gets for an unranked prospect.

Who's fighting at Noche UFC ?

14 fights are scheduled for this Saturday. Three fights feature ranked fighters. Five fighters are making their UFC debuts.

Main event: #2 Diego Lopes vs. #10 Jean Silva
#9 Rob Font vs. David Martinez
Rafa Garcia vs. Jared Gordon
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
Santiago Luna vs. Quang Le
Alexander Hernandez vs. Diego Ferreira
Jose Medina vs. Dusko Todorovic
Claudio Puelles vs. Joaquim Silva
#2 Tatiana Suarez vs. #4 Amanda Lemos
Jesus Aguilar vs. Luis Gurule
Zach Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas
Alessandro Costa vs. Alden Coria
Montserrat Rendon vs. Alice Pereira
Rodrigo Sezinando vs. Daniil Donchenko

Kelvin Gastelu — Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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