Coach Conversation | UFC 325: Volkanovski vs Lopes 2

Kyte: For sure. I agree with you on Lopes too that his ground game is insane, though we haven’t seen as much of it. We saw it last fight when he got the big takedown — and I think it’s really smart that he’s working with the Oklahoma State wrestling team because if you can’t get to your spots, get the fight to the ground, your grappling is limited — but the thing I worry about with the development of the striking is that it feels like he’s…

Chartier: The Josh Koscheck Effect?

Kyte: Yeah! He’s falling in love with it. He walloped some of those early opponents — Pat Sabbatini, Sodiq (Yusuff) — and now he’s more focused on it.

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We saw it in the fight with Jean Silva: he wins the first round — dominates; he almost finishes — and then he gets away from it to throw hands and gets in trouble. I wonder if someone in that corner just goes, “Hey man — here’s the first round and this is what happened, so maybe let’s dance with the girl we brought, yeah?”

That was his thing when he got here, that’s what threatened (Movsar) Evloev: he was always attacking off his back, has terrific hips, never accepting positions.

Chartier: I’m just blown away that he didn’t the first time.

Kyte: I was so confused in the first round of that fight because he’s a guy that traditionally starts really quick, puts you on your heels, and makes you react to him, expend energy; we didn’t get any of that.

Some of that is nerves, being in that position, right? On the marquee, win and you’re world champion, facing one of the best to ever do it and you just freeze up a little, get a little tight. Fine. It happens. We talk about it all the time for a reason. But how are you not even exploring it?

Chartier: Right.

Kyte: My kind of offshoot of the not wrestling thing for this fight is what are the lessons from that first one? What are the takeaways and how are you gonna show me that you grew from that?

You’ve been here now. Now it can’t be deer in the headlights. And now it’s your second shot at this dude in less than a year and if you lose this one, you’re in a weird space. Like he won’t be out of the title picture forever, but you can’t keep coming up short and not capitalizing on these opportunities.

That was part of the thing with Paddy (Pimblett) and (Justin) Gaethje on Saturday that we talked about: we’re not wrestling at all? We’re not grappling at all? There were those front headlock sequences where even I know — and they talked about on the broadcast — that you can work to attack something or even get to a spot where you can pull him into your guard from there.

Chartier: It’s such a weird thing fighters do at times; it’s like they say, “F it!” and abandon things they’re good at in different fights. Sometimes it’s an anomaly, sometimes it’s a trend, but Lopes is in that Josh Koscheck era where it’s easier to stand and bang. The people love it!

But you can see it in his last fight: he was getting hurt bad in the second round. Wrestled well in the first round, almost of the finish. He got hurt in the second round waiting. Another part of that too is Silva did well going to the body, and I think that’s something Joe will see, so I’m anxious to see if Volk works the body more this time.

Kyte: Yeah, because he’s a big dude for this weight class too. It’s a tough cut, you’ve got all the travel, though he’s been over there for a while, but it’s still not the same as Volk living there.

Chartier: With Lopes, he can go first and look good, but if you watch him when he’s trying to land a big right hand, it almost looks forced, it’s not as clean. But when you get him in a little boxing exchange and he can counter, it looks way better.

I think he has better reactionary punching than he does proactive punching. When he gets in that scramble, that exchange where both guys are winging it, I think he’s a naturally more powerful puncher in those moments than if you said, “Hey, go lead the dance.” That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that he’s better in the chaos.

Kyte: Yeah, he’s better when he’s not thinking about things; when he’s just out there getting into a fight. One hundred percent.

X Factor

Kyte: Okay, so what’s the x-factor here?

Chartier: I think it’s whether Lopes mixes in wrestling. Is he gonna go out there and try to box again? He didn’t even really kick much, he was mostly trying to box, but is he gonna attempt to wrestle?

If he comes out and doesn’t threaten wrestling, I think it’s gonna be the same as the last fight. I think it’s gonna be a little more one-sided on Volk’s end because “okay, he’s doing the same things” and he’s gonna have a better plan because he’s faced him once already. I think it really comes down to the wrestling. I don’t see Lopes having a clear path to victory if he doesn’t wrestle; you have to hope you catch him.

Kyte: If he fights the same overall approach as the first fight, we get the same result, for sure. Nothing changes if you don’t change things, so he’s gotta change things.

Chartier: Yep.

Kyte: I will add, on my side, just because it’s always there and I do want to acknowledge it before hand — Volk’s another year older and as much as I like that he didn’t hustle back, at some point, Father Time comes for you. He’s bucked the trend a bunch, but at some point he won’t.

Chartier: He’s not the guy we ever have to worry about him not showing up prepared, but he did get hurt in the last fight, he did get rocked by Ilia (Topuria) and so is the chin there still?

Kyte: To be clear — it’s not a concern that he’s chinny and can’t take any shots, but he’s 37, he’s been in 10 straight title fights, a bunch of them went all five rounds; he’s been in there a lot, there is lots of wear and tear. He rocked you last time. You’re another year older; does it come into play?

Chartier: Yep.