If it were up to Alexander Volkanovski, Diego Lopes would not be getting a second title shot.
Dana White’s recent slate of fight announcements has drawn plenty of criticism, and the reasons are not hard to find.
He had already stirred controversy by booking Justin Gaethje vs Paddy Pimblett as the UFC 324 headliner for an interim lightweight belt. That choice left Arman Tsarukyan out in the cold, and he was not the only contender passed over.
White also booked a rematch between Volkanovski and Lopes for UFC 325 in Sydney, giving the Mexican another shot ahead of fighters like Lerone Murphy.
The champion himself is not on board with that call.
Alexander Volkanovski admits UFC went against his opponent preference with Diego Lopes selection
Following Volkanovski’s victory over Lopes at UFC 314, all eyes turned to the undefeated Murphy as the probable next challenger. This anticipation stemmed from his impressive spinning elbow knockout of Aaron Pico in Chicago last August.
Volkanovski was clearly on board with that idea, calling a match-up with ‘The Miracle’ a “no-brainer” for the promotion.
However, ‘The Great’ himself revealed that even being a two-time featherweight champion and one of the division’s all-time greats, he still had little influence over selecting his next opponent.
He said in a YouTube video: “We all know that I wanted to fight earlier. I thought it was going to be December – Lerone Murphy in December.
“Then they (the UFC) were saying Lopes. Obviously, we were like, ‘We just fought that guy? Is there more deserving people?’ Whatever, everyone knows that I’ll fight anyone.
“Whoever they put in front of me, I’ll do. But, you know, there was them questions there.
“Obviously, again, I thought Movsar was deserving, Lerone Murphy. I thought they were the two guys. (But) UFC really wanted Lopes.
“Movsar and Lerone, they are more deserving…but it is what it is. Whoever they put in front of me, let’s go.”
Lopes gave Volkanovski plenty to think about in their first meeting
Volkanovski delivered a throwback performance in his first meeting with Lopes, outclassing the Mexican over five rounds, though it was not a completely smooth ride for ‘The Great’.
Coming off knockout defeats to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, his supporters could be forgiven for holding their breath when Lopes sent him to the canvas during the Miami main event at the Kaseya Center.
The former two-time featherweight champion was dropped by a crisp right hand, landing heavily, but the scare arrived right at the end of the second round – giving Volkanovski the precious few moments he needed to steady himself.
He will now be aiming for a far tidier outing in the rematch, hoping to put Lopes away without drama before shifting his focus back to the opponents he had originally set his sights on.
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