Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

‘I Am Ready for Volkanovski’s Best Version’ – Diego Lopes Speaks on His Conditioning for UFC 314

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Diego Lopes has been on a roll lately and has won the last five bouts. He will be looking forward to carry on the momentum and fight former featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314, for the vacant featherweight title. While many fighters have to wait for a long time to fight for the title, as seen with Khamzat Chimaev who still hasn’t gotten his title shot, that will not be the case for the Brazilian. Lopes made his UFC debut in May of 2023 but ended up losing against Movsar Evloev via unanimous decision.

However, after his first fight, Lopes has figured out how to win and is starting to look like he belongs in the UFC. Lopes has never fought somebody as talented and experienced as Volk and it will be interesting to see how he plans to take him on.

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Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes face off for the first time 👀🔥

🎥 @ufc #UFC314 pic.twitter.com/tOAlW9e0B3
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 7, 2025

When Lopes took on Dan Ige on less than a day’s notice, it was clear that by the end of the fight, Lopes was tired. Due to this reason, many started questioning Lopes’ cardio and conditioning but what people fail to understand is that both the fighters had to make drastic weight changes, which is bound to take a toll on their bodies. The whirlwind of weight cuts and adjustments, rehydrating from 145 to 161 pounds, affected Lopes and Ige’s performance in the octagon.

Looking at the Ige fight, many have already started predicting that Lopes will not stand a chance against Volk at UFC 314, but he fired back at all the naysayers. Let us look at what he had to say.

Lopes Is Unconcerned About His Cardio for UFC 314

There’s many fans and analysts who believe that since Volk has the cardio to go on for 5 rounds, Lopes would lose the fight for his lack of conditioning. However Lopes is unhinged by the comments and he said,

“I think (Volkanovski) might go in there and look to do a mix of his game because a lot of people are still complaining that I might not have the cardio for five rounds.” Lopes talked to Habelmos MMA in spanish. “People are still hanging on to what happened in the fight against Dan Ige, that I slowed down. But that’s ok. People have mouths, and they’ll say whatever they want. I’m ready for Volkanovski’s best version, I’m ready to show my best version.”

Lopes is not at all bothered by what the fans have to say and believes that he has what it takes to be crowned the featherweight champ in the upcoming bout against Volk. As mentioned earlier, his fight against Ige was under heavily unfavored circumstances and it would not be easy for any fighter.

We also tend to forget that Lopes dominated his last fight against a formidable opponent in Brian Ortega. Lopes won all three rounds of that fight and defeated him via unanimous decision. There’s a reason why he’s getting a chance at the title, and even though Lopes is the underdog going into the fight, he has the tools to beat Volk for the belt.

Also Read: Bo Nickal Believes the UFC Rankings Are All but “Marketing” Tactics!

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Volkanovski vs Lopes Odds

According to BetMGM, Volkanovski is -145 favorite to win the fight, whereas his opponent Lopes is a +120 underdog.

Also Read: ‘My Reactions Were Slow’ – Leon Edwards Reflects on His UFC 304 Loss Against Belal Muhammad

Alexander Volkanovksi

Dan Ige

Diego Lopes

UFC 314

Eric Divakaran

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nfl

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I cover the National Football League and things cannot get better than that. I always dreamed to play football or basketball professionally since I’m built like a Running Back. But now that I can’t, since I’m technically in the “Unc” age, I thought why not pick a career in sports industry? So here I am, doing what I love, and hoping that the Commanders win the Super Bowl. I give love to players when it’s due, but can be critical about their performances at the same time. Enough about me, now let my articles do all the talking.