Athletes
DIEGO LOPES | SECOND CHANCES
UFC 325 Title Challenger Talks Missteps In Miami, Value Of Beating Alexander Volkanovski
Over the previous three years, there has not been a more universally beloved fighter on the UFC roster than Diego Lopes. From the time he turned in a stellar effort in his short-notice loss to undefeated contender Movsar Evloev all the way through his come-from-behind stoppage win over Jean Silva in September, the cowboy hat-wearing featherweight standout has been met with nothing but cheers, love, and appreciation.
So imagine how it felt when his championship rematch with Alexander Volkanovski, which headlines UFC 325 this weekend at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, was announced, and the beloved Brazilian heard a non-stop chorus of complaints and cries that he didn’t deserve the opportunity. It would be jarring if Lopes weren’t already fully aware of the fickle nature of MMA fans and sports fans in general.
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“It’s okay!” he said with his signature smile when asked about suddenly being the target of tremendous criticism. “I say this whole week, all interviews: the fans, the people are never happy. They’re never happy; it’s always questions.
“If the UFC offered the chance to Movsar — ‘Oh, why this guy? He’s never finished no one in the UFC. He hasn’t fought in a year.’ If they say the chance is for Lerone Murphy — ‘Oh, he beat a newcomer to the UFC.’ They say it’s for Diego —‘Diego don’t deserve to fight for the title!’ The people try multiple arguments (against) this fight. ‘He lost to Volk a number of months ago. Oh, he beat the No. 10 guy in the division.’
“Yeah, I beat the No. 10 guy in the division, I’m active —you think the guy that is not active in the division, Movsar Evloev, deserves to fight for the title?” continued Lopes. “Or if you’re talking about the rankings, you think the guy that beat a newcomer to the UFC should fight for the belt? This is not being disrespectful of my division —it’s not disrespect for Movsar or Lerone Murphy; it’s only a response to the fans and social media.
“The people are never happy.”
Truer words have never been spoken, but the ability to ignore the noise is also something that feels like an addition to his arsenal since last April’s first encounter between these two.
Diego Lopes Fight Week Interview | UFC 325
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Diego Lopes Fight Week Interview | UFC 325
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Paired off in a battle for the vacant title in the wake of Ilia Topuria moving up to lightweight, everything about UFC 314 was new for Lopes, and he was clearly off his game throughout the week. Not only was it his first main event, his first time being on the poster, and followed nearly 24/7 by a camera crew, but he also squabbled with Yair Rodriguez throughout the week, allowing his heightened emotions to get the best of him at times.
As much as we like to think that these athletes are impervious to nerves and anxiety, they’re not, and the pressure you can feel as a main event fighter, especially in a championship contest, is enough to knock you off your game.
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And against the best fighters in the world, a slight slip is all they need.
“In the first fight, I didn’t have the experience with this: five rounds, five minutes, fighting for the belt, main event. I’m the face for the main event, so all the cameras are focused on me, fighting with one of the best guys in the world, Volkanovski, a lot of things happened during the fight week,” began Lopes, acknowledging that the brand new situation was a little overwhelming. “That time, I’m so new in this —my first (main event) experience ever is my fight for the title, so I think this maybe mixed a little bit with my emotion. I tried not to show this during fight week, in the interviews, before the fight, after the fight, but I think yeah, it did (impact things).
“Now, nothing’s new for me; nothing is new, so I have more confidence in myself; I have more experience too,” he said, shifting his attention to this weekend, where he gets a second crack at the Australian superstar and two-time featherweight titleholder. “This is my third main event consecutively, so I don’t have this pressure of ‘I go to this place, there are cameras behind me.’ For me, it’s normal now; I’m not carried away with this.
“I only enjoy the moment now. I’m trying not to put a lot of attention on this now.”
It’s also worth remembering that while Volkanovski unquestionably won the fight, Lopes still had some very positive moments, and with the jitters of being under such an intense spotlight behind him, the challenger feels he’s made the changes necessary to change the outcome in this weekend’s rematch.
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“In the first fight, he beat me, 100 percent, but I know I had my moments in the fight,” he said with a smile. “I know I made a lot of mistakes in the fight too, so I work on fixing these mistakes so that the next time now, I feel more better, more comfortable, more dangerous in the cage.
“Now I have the confidence, now I think I have the perfect game plan for beating Volk. I fixed many things, fixed the mistakes I made in the first fight with him. I was working different things, working more as a mixed martial artist, not only trying to finish him with a big punch.
“I think in my first fight with him, I looked a lot for this –for a big punch for knocking him out, I forget the game plan,” he added. “But now I have more confidence, the perfect game plan for beating him.”
For the affable Brazilian, Saturday’s rematch is not only a chance to avenge his prior loss and capture championship gold, but to do so by beating arguably the best fighter in the history of the division and one of the greatest competitors in UFC history.
UFC 325 marks the 11th consecutive championship fight for Volkanovski, a number equaled or exceeded only by icons, and the pound-for-pound stalwart is universally recognized as one of the smartest fighters in the game; a true pro’s pro who is respected by everyone
While winning a title is always great, doing so by beating someone like that is definitely sweeter, and something Lopes will be proud to say he did should things go his way this weekend.
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“If I beat Alex, for me, I think it’s the most important win of my career,” he said. “The guy is a two-time featherweight champion, one of the best in the world. He’s a legend; a Hall of Famer, 100 percent. Imagine if I take the belt, when the people ask me, ‘Who’s the guy you beat for taking the belt?’
“‘I take the belt from Volkanovski,’” he said, responding to the future question. “When I tell this to people in the future, I think they understand how important this is for me, for my team, for my career.”
Just how important is it?
“For me, winning the title is my dream come true because I worked for this for a long, long time. I have a second chance now. The first time I was a little short, but now I have (everything) necessary for beating Volk and taking the belt.”
UFC 325: Volkanovski vs Lopes 2 took place live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia on January 31, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!