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9 months after he outpointed Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title, Alexander Volkanovski will make the primary protection of his second title reign on Saturday in a rematch headlining UFC 325 in Sydney, Australia.
The largest narrative surrounding the rematch, which was booked simply months after Lopes rebounded to complete Jean Silva in an exhilarating slugfest headlining Noche UFC in September, is whether or not Lopes (27-7) can enhance in any respect on his efficiency at UFC 314 when he dropped and twice harm Volkanovski (27-4) however was unable to place him away in a transparent resolution loss.
Although Lopes even getting the fast rematch was considerably controversial within the eyes of followers contemplating he leapfrogged prime contenders Movsar Evloev (who defeated him in 2023) and Lerone Murphy, the 31-year-old native of Brazil has mentioned all the proper issues about what he discovered from his loss to Volkanovski.
“After I look again on the first battle, I do know that I had large moments however I’m grateful as a result of the primary battle with Volk taught me plenty of various things [about] my life and my profession,” Lopes advised CBS Sports activities on Wednesday. “I fastened these issues and now I’m a very completely different fighter in comparison with the primary battle. Now, I’ve the expertise [of] combating 5 rounds and now I’ve the expertise of being in the primary occasion with the cameras behind me. Nothing is new for me now so I haven’t got the stress.”
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Lopes, who moved to Mexico at age 19 to turn out to be a jiu-jitsu teacher and the place he has now arrange store on the Lobo Health club in Guadalajara, now readily admits the second was too large for him 9 months in the past and it compelled him to desert his wrestling, throw away his coaches’ gameplan and methodically comply with Volkanovski across the cage — with out reducing it off — seeking a one-punch knockout.
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The simplistic nature of Lopes’ assault turned out to be simple pickings for Volkanovski, who picked Lopes aside within the opening spherical (earlier than surviving a knockdown of his personal in Spherical 2) and was capable of flip again the clock by reclaiming the 145-pound title he had misplaced one yr earlier by way of second-round knockout towards Ilia Topuria. It is doubtless as a result of Lopes made the battle really easy for Volkanovski of their first assembly that the 37-year-old legend is not anticipating a harder time within the rematch.
“I believe there’s a lot that I can capitalize on [because] I am able to altering issues and [utilizing] a brand new technique,” Volkanovski advised CBS Sports activities on Wednesday. “Whether or not I need to take him down or battle at brief vary, I really feel like I could make no matter changes are wanted. However for him — and this isn’t a knock on him — however, what’s he able to? I hear individuals say that he’s going to enhance a lot however I do not assume I noticed that in his final battle, to be sincere.
“How a lot is he able to altering? And, if he tries to, is that going to carry him again from what he does finest? If he tries to outstrategize me, I believe that simply makes it quite a bit tougher for him. And if he does plan on doing that, that is going to fully change midway by way of the primary spherical.”
The largest potential enchancment for Lopes ought to come on the bottom. Not solely does he have a superb submission base because the longtime jiu-jitsu coach of former UFC ladies’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, he has dedicated himself to enhancing upon his wrestling recreation in any case however abandoning it towards Volkanovski.
Lopes, who made a number of journeys in 2025 to Oklahoma State College to coach beneath the steerage of former U.S. Olympic gold medalist David Taylor, confirmed enhancements on the bottom towards Silva final fall when he utilized takedowns and prime management to dominate his countryman within the opening spherical by touchdown heavy injury.
“Within the first battle, many individuals requested me why I did not attempt to take [Volkanovski] down,” Lopes mentioned. “It is as a result of I simply tried to complete him with an enormous punch and an enormous connection however I forgot the gameplan. On the weigh in, I advised my coach that possibly I’d attempt to take him down however [Volkanovski] was quite a bit shorter, which makes it troublesome. He’s additionally so bodily robust, too. However this time, I’m extra calm and extra assured. Now, I need to take him down and use my jiu-jitsu and be extra of a blended martial artist.”
Though Volkanovski praised the hazard degree of Lopes’ high-level submission recreation and the enhancements he confirmed in taking Silva down, he does not anticipate it to be a lot of an element of their second battle.
“For me, carry that on,” Volkanovski mentioned. “Everybody is aware of about my takedown protection and wherever he takes it, I believe it is going to be a tough night time for him. I simply have to forestall him from touchdown that large shot.”
It is that one large shot that Volkanovski does have plenty of respect for. Lopes bloodied the left eye of Volkanovski in Spherical 2 and later dropped him within the closing seconds with a clubbing overhand proper. Lopes additionally received Spherical 4 on two of the three judges’ scorecards after hurting him with a proper uppercut to the left eye that compelled a wincing Volkanovski to shoot for a takedown.
“It’s a must to put [Lopes’ power] proper up there as a result of in case you simply have a look at the approach, even when he is touchdown, it is not even pure approach,” Volkanovski mentioned. “It is kind of out of place punches. He even has a bizarre type kind of punch the place mechanically it is not how you’d hearth a punch. Like, Ilia Topuria has received this excellent approach so you possibly can perceive why there may be a lot energy behind it. However [Lopes] does not even want approach and it is simply sheer energy.
“I used to be hurting after that battle, I will be sincere. I had stitches throughout me and was banged up. I had stitches inside my mouth and clearly I could not see out of my eye through the fourth spherical. So, I positively felt the punches after, anyway.”
Volkanovski, who hasn’t fought since his victory over Lopes, mentioned that he loves when critics point out his age as a result of that solely makes his victories extra candy. Lopes, in the meantime, mentioned that he hopes to carry the identical sort of chaos to the rematch that he thrived in throughout his wild second spherical towards Silva, which ended with Lopes knocking him out with a spinning again elbow.
For Volkanovski, a victory would give him a sixth featherweight title protection, which might place him one in need of Jose Aldo’s UFC file for the division and additional make the case for “Alexander the Nice,” who defeated Aldo by resolution in 2019, as the best 145-pound fighter in historical past. However for Lopes, the motivation to carry residence a world title is solely completely different.
“I left my home like 11 years in the past and I advised my mother and my dad, ‘Look, I am leaving. I am making an attempt to search for the very best life for all of us and I promise in the future I will probably be champion of UFC,'” Lopes mentioned. “Now, I’ve like 50 p.c of this completed in my life. I can [provide] the very best life for my mother, my dad and my brothers however I’ve yet one more factor and that is [to be] the very best. I’ve this opportunity now. My objective is to take the belt and take a flight again to my metropolis [of Manaus, Brazil] and to take the belt and say, ‘Mother and pop, right here. My promise is completed.'”
Who wins Volkanovski vs. Lopes, and the way precisely does the battle finish? Go to SportsLine now to get detailed picks and evaluation from the incomparable professional who’s up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since Could 19, 2018, and discover out.
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