Diego Lopes’ neck has become a talking point because of a visible scar and a repeated “neck scratching” or “throat tick” he does during fights, which comes from a childhood accident rather than a new serious injury.

What actually happened to his neck?

Several outlets and clips explain that Lopes has a scar on his neck/chin area from when he was a kid.

He once injured himself playing with a metal construction rod that ended up stuck near his jaw/neck, leaving a permanent mark and lingering sensitivity in that area.

Over time this turned into:

  • A physical scar on his neck/chin.
  • A habitual “tic” where he rubs or scratches the spot, especially when he’s sweating or under stress in a fight.

He has said in interviews that:

  • The old injury is healed, but he unconsciously keeps checking or scratching the area.
  • He has tried to remove this habit from his game so it doesn’t create openings for opponents, but it still shows up in fights.

Why fans keep asking “what happened to Diego Lopes’ neck”?

Fans notice him:

  • Constantly touching or scratching his neck/throat during fights.
  • Doing it in multiple bouts, which led to speculation about a hidden neck or cervical injury.

Forum posts and commentary often describe it as:

“Just a tic he has for sure.”

Commentators like Jon Anik have also pointed it out on broadcasts, which helped push the topic into meme/viral territory, especially on MMA Reddit and YouTube breakdown channels.

Is it a current medical problem?

From publicly available information:

  • The “neck thing” most people see is that old scar/tic , not a freshly reported severe neck injury.
  • Recent official injury reports around UFC 325 focus on his feet (reports that he “broke both feet” in the Volkanovski fight) and precautionary scans of his head/face, not a new neck diagnosis.

There are YouTube videos speculating about a “hidden neck problem,” but these are mainly analysis/opinion based on body language and old footage, not confirmed medical disclosures from Lopes or the UFC.

Quick bullet recap (for “what happened to Diego Lopes’ neck”)

  • As a child, Diego Lopes hurt his neck/jaw area with a metal rod, which got stuck and left a scar.
  • The area can itch or feel odd when he sweats, and he developed a lifelong habit of scratching or checking it.
  • That habit shows up clearly in his UFC fights, so fans notice him repeatedly touching his neck and ask if something is wrong.
  • Current injury news centers on his fractured feet and precautionary scans after UFC 325, not a new major neck injury.

TL;DR: Diego Lopes’ neck looks unusual in fights because of an old childhood accident that left a scar and a nervous/physical tic, not because of a newly reported catastrophic neck injury.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.