Alexander Volkanovski became the greatest featherweight of all time with an even more dominant performance, defeating Diego Lopes for the second time in the UFC 325 main event.
The 37-year-old champion displayed patience, incredible moves and a powerful counter game that gave Lopez a headache from the first second to the last. While Lopez did make some plays in the first meeting, Volkanovski effectively shut him down in the rematch and showed why he is a two-time champion with a total of eight title defenses.
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After the fight, the judges scored the fight 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46, giving Volkanovski the nod and his second consecutive victory over Lopez.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” Volkanovski joked after his win. “A lot happened in camp. We persevered. Sometimes things went wrong, but I thought let’s go, it was more of a challenge. It made me more excited. I didn’t want to stand there for 25 minutes, to be honest. But we got the job done, so it was all good.”
“We were ready for him to make the right adjustment. Our last play, we moved to the right side and we cut that off pretty quickly. I made the adjustment. That’s what true championships are about. You have talented guys who have all those things. But most importantly, everyone has the grit, determination, hard work, sacrifice, making adjustments on the fly, staying calm under the fire. I’ve had all of that.”
Lopez, for his part, is understandably frustrated after a poor performance in his second attempt to dethrone Volkanovski, which will likely keep him out of title contention as long as the Australian remains champion.
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“I think Volkanovski is one of the best players in the division and he’s accomplished a lot in every round,” Lopez said. “He creates something different step by step. I don’t have much to say at the moment.”
It was another masterclass from Volkanovski, who kept Lopez guessing and displayed his prowess throughout the five-round fight.
Volkanovski stayed within kicking range throughout the opening round, content to pound Lopez from the outside and let the challenger chase him. As Lopez tried to find a breakthrough, Volkanovski opened up with a nice combination that included a stiff right hand that connected with a flush.
With Lopez determined to stay aggressive, he began to pursue Volkanovski with more reckless abandon, but that also left him with some crafty counterattack opportunities. For every punch Lopez threw, Volkanovski quickly responded with two or three punches.
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As the clock ticked down, Lopez initiated a takedown and Volkanovski quickly countered with a guillotine, although he slipped before completing the submission.
On the restart, Volkanowski kept Lopez guessing until he forced the challenger forward with a flurry of punches. This allowed Volkanovski to come back perfectly and he pounded Lopez with a stiff right hand.
A second later, Lopez rushed forward, and Volkanovski swung another punishing right hand, temporarily suppressing his opponent’s legs. Lopez recovered well enough to eventually stagger Volkanovski with a shot of his own, although the champion got right back in his face as the fight continued.
Volkanovski frustrated Lopez with good movement and excellent footwork, never letting himself get into trouble. Every time Lopez exploded forward, Volkanovski made him pay with well-timed counterattacks that always found a home on the chin.
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It wasn’t until Lopez threw caution to the wind and forced Volkanovski into the crossfire that he hit some solid shots of his own. But even then, Volkanovski punished himself heavily and never allowed Lopez to gain any real momentum.
With five minutes left, Lopez’s coach urged him to go all out, realizing he might need to finish to win the game. But Volkanovski didn’t back down, still mixing up his combinations and even landing a takedown to keep Lopez guessing.
When Lopez got a little too aggressive, Volkanovski made him pay with a powerful lead jab that was packed with power and precision. Even when Lopez managed to draw him into the clinch, looking for a kimura and then blocking with his arm, Volkanovski quickly defended and countered, ultimately taking the lead.
Volkanovski landed a few more punches on the ground to end the fight, but the die was cast – he earned the win and retained his featherweight title for another successful defense.
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While this rematch doesn’t make much sense on paper, Volkanovski proved he was the better fighter against Lopez and now he’s waiting on some new fights in the featherweight division.
“Obviously, I’ve made it clear, whoever is next, whoever deserves it,” Volkanovski said. “I think they might do Movsar [Evloev] With Lelon Murphy, we’ll see if that happens. I’ll talk to the team and see what happens next. “