It’s been 26 days since Alexander Volkanovski successfully defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight title in a rematch against Diego Lopes in the main event of UFC 325 inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia — and now the champ has had time to reflect.
The immediate rematch raised eyebrows when it was booked. Their first fight was decisive and dominant in favor of “Volk,” leaving many wondering what Lopes could possibly do differently in such a short turnaround. As it turns out, not much.
Speaking in a recent interview with former UFC Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, Volkanovski didn’t hold back when evaluating Lopes’ adjustments.
“During camp, we were thinking surely his team would work on how to cut off the cage — like he has to at least do that right?” Volkanovski said. “But you can cut off the cage the wrong way. If you step in too close, you walk straight into my power shots.”
According to the champ, once Lopes attempted to pressure the same direction as their first fight, it became clear the blueprint hadn’t changed.
“As soon as I went right like I did in the first fight, he tried to cut me off and came straight in front,” Volkanovski explained. “So I started turning the other way and just had the open side. He did the right thing going southpaw, but he was still squaring up, not cutting me off properly. I didn’t have to take too many risks.”
While Volkanovski acknowledged Lopes’ skill, he questioned his fight IQ and ability to make meaningful adjustments in eight months.
“He’s good, but maybe he just needs that little bit more [fight] IQ or footwork and get a better understanding,” Volkanovski added. “That’s why the quick turnaround, it was always going to be difficult for him….Could you expect him to make those good adjustments and learn so much in eight months? I was like, I don’t know…Even if he started cutting off the other way, I still had so many other layers I could have gone. How is he going to be prepared for all those layers? He wasn’t, and I was able to stump him on just that next layer, and just me turning the opposite way, and I’m not having a shot at him. I feel sorry for him.”
“I feel bad because I’m probably the worst possible matchup for the guy, just purely because of my IQ and my footwork and whatnot that he just couldn’t handle,” Volkanovski concluded. “So now he’s pretty much wasted his chance at the title against me in a quick turnaround. I mean, I was probably the only guy that can do 50 minutes and just have him not know what’s going on for 50 minutes. I don’t know if there’s another fighter in our division that could do that.”
The champion sure has a way with words.
Volkanovski is 2-0 since reclaiming his title that he lost at UFC 298 — and is waiting for his next opponent, which will probably be the winner of Lerone Murphy vs. Movsar Evloev that goes down next month at UFC London.
