Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
Alexander Volkanovski
Diego Lopes
In the upcoming UFC tournament, the main highlight of the evening will be the title fight for the vacant featherweight crown (up to 65.8 kg) between Australian gladiator Alexander Volkanovski and the creative Brazilian with a devilish tattoo, Diego Lopes. I offer a bet on the outcome of the fight with a good coefficient.
Fight Preview
Alexander Volkanovski is not just an octagon veteran, but a true all-rounder. In his childhood, he actively honed his Greco-Roman wrestling skills, but by his teenage years, he switched to rugby, where he managed to shine at a semi-professional level. However, his real journey began at the age of 22 when he stepped into the realm of MMA. Mastering Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the level of a black belt, Volkanovski confidently burst into the professional scene in 2012. His career has been a climb through welterweight, lightweight, and ultimately featherweight divisions.
In his homeland of Australia, he collected every trophy possible, and in 2016, he moved to the UFC. By 2019, he dethroned Max Holloway and donned the championship belt. He held the title for four consecutive defenses and then dared to take on a second summit — the lightweight division, where he faced Islam Makhachev. The first attempt was a loss by decision. The second — a knockout in the first round. Between these fights, he reminded everyone who the boss is by knocking out Yair Rodriguez. However, this February was cold for the Australian: another knockout defeat and a farewell to the belt.
Diego Lopes is a shining example of a fighter who didn't give up after the first setback and turned it into a springboard to success. Starting his professional career in 2012, he journeyed through various promotions, hardening his character and style. His first attempt to break into the UFC through Dana White's Contender Series ended in failure in 2021. The setback could have been the end, but Lopes turned it into a comma: yes, he lost again, but then gathered himself and delivered two confident triumphs in a row.
In 2023, the Brazilian finally broke into the main octagon of the planet, debuting against the formidable Movsar Evloev — and although he lost, he gave such a tough fight that since then, the UFC believed in his potential. After that, Lopes became unstoppable — a streak of five consecutive victories, three of which were early finishes. In his recent fights, he had to sweat: he won by decision against the resilient Dan Ige and Brian Ortega, demonstrating that he can not only finish quickly but also conduct a fight intelligently over the distance.
Fight Prediction
In conclusion, it's hard to argue that Volkanovski enters the octagon as the favorite. If we were talking about a peak Alex, the result would be unquestionable: he would crush Lopes as he has done with many before. But the current Volkanovski is no longer a flawless machine but a veteran with a touch of fatigue and a couple of painful losses behind him. Nevertheless, it seems that experience, adaptability, and smart work on mistakes will allow the Australian to survive the initial onslaught and drag the fight into the later rounds, where he feels like a fish in water — where endurance, IQ, and composure decide the outcome.
