Alexander Volkanovski Vs. Diego Lopes Prescription, Pick: Does Legend Have One More Title Win in HIM?

Mma Junkie Analyst Dan Tom Goes in-Deepth to Break Down The Biggest Fights in the UFC. Today, He Takes A Closer Look at the UFC 314 Main Event Between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes for the Vacant Featherweight Championship.

Alexander Volkanovski UFC 314 Preview

Staple Info:

• Record: 26-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC
• Height: 5’6 ″ Age: 36 Weight: 145 Lbs. Reach: 71.5 ″
• Last Fight: Knockout Loss to Ilia Topuria (Feb. 17, 2024)
• Camp: Freestyle Fighting Gym/Bangtao Muay Thai (Australia)
• Stance/Striking style: Switch-Stance/Kickboxing
• Risk Management: Excellent

SUPPLEMENTAL INFO:
+ Ufc featherweight champion
+ Regional mma titles
+ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt
+ National Wrestling Gold Medalist
+ 13 ko victories
+ 3 Submission Wins
+ 7 FIRST-ROUND FINISHES
+ KO Power
+ Consistent Pace and Pressure
+ Excellent Feints and Footwork
+ Accurate Shot Selection and Counters
^ Educated Lead Hand and Hard Leg Kicks
+ Solid Wrestling Ability
^ Takeowns, transits, scrambles
+ Good Ground Striking from Topside

Diego Lopes UFC 314 Preview

Staple Info:

• Record: 27-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC
• Height: 5’11 ”Age: 30 weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 72.5 ″
• Last Fight: Decision Win Over Brian Ortega (Sept. 14, 2024)
• Camp: Brazilian Warriors/Legacy MMA (MEXICO)
• Stance/Striking style: Orthodox/Kickboxing
• Risk Management: Fair

SUPPLEMENTAL INFO:
+ Regional mma titles
+ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt
+ Multiple Grappling Accollades
+ 10 ko victories
+ 12 Submission Wins
+ 15 FIRST-RUND FINISHES
+ Knockout Power
+ Aggressive Pace and Pressure
+ Improved Boxing Ability
^ Accurate Left Hook and UpperCut Returns
+ HARD Calf Kicks
+ Excellent Transressional Grappler
^ Dynamic submission game
+ Dangerous Off of Back
^ ATTACS FROM HIGH-TO-LOW

Alexander Volkanovski Vs. Diego Lopes Point of Interest: Featherweight Fireworks

Not One to Say no to a scrap, lopes have proven that he is down to step up up in multiple Ways.

Improving his Striking skills in recent years, lopes shows Some Natural Pop in His Punches and Kicks. Doing A Bit Better at Staying Over His Feet, Lopes Has Made Measurable Strides Since His Early Days of Being A Jiu-Jitsu Brawler.

Althugh Lopes’ Aggresses Instincts Are Still Clearly Intact, The 30-Iear-Eld Brazilian Displays Some Solid Straight Punches that Serve Him Well When Coming Fourg. Whenever matched with a fellow orthodox OPPOSION, LOPES WILL UNLEASH CRASHING CALF Kicks ofnn Set Up by his Underrated Lead Hand.

LOPES CAN ALSO STRIKE PETENTLY OFF OF COLLAR Ties, But Will Need to Be Careful When Closing in On Volkanovski.

An AcClaimed Wrestler-Turned-Rugby Player, Volkanovski Initially Steped Onto The Scene As a Come-Fororward Slugger Who Typically Approached the Pocket of Like An Ona. Stance. A Natural Athlete, Volkanovski Shows Little Issue Who Having to Crash Distance with his Patent Kicks and Crosses, Strikes That Have Been Typical Set Up Off of Proding Jabs.

However, Since Incorporating the Influences of Brad Riddell and His Sister Gym City KickBoxing, Volkanovski Has Sharpened His Feints, Footwork, And Overall Striking Fundament Smoothly and on Balance than Bean. The 36-YEAR-ELD AUSTRALIAN WILL CHANGE UP His Combination Approach, Doing Things Like Leading with Stance-Debasy Kicks and Finishing Off Combinations with A Long Lead Hand.

Volkanovski Also Has Taken Some of the Feinning Swagger from His Stablemates, Showing OR Throwing Away Certain Shots to Land Other With A Bigger Picture in Mind.

Alexander Volkanovski Vs. Diego Lopes Breakdown: Potential Grappling Threats

Considering that broth Men Come from Grappling Bases, No One Should be Shocked If This Featherweight Party Touches the Floor at Some Point.

Grappling Since of Age of 5, Lopes Is A Lifelong Martial Artist Who Moves on the Floor Like Second Nature.

An Absolute Nightmare in Transitions, Lopes Flows Through The Position and Submission Index Faster Than Any Bogus AI Program Could Replicate. WHETHER Combining Armbar and Triilale Threats or Snatching Up Legs on An Exit, Lopes Is Great About Keeping A High-To-Tov Theme to His Attacks.

In more recent of Stretches of his Career, Lopes Appears to have Made a Real Effort to Shore up his wrestling, Both Defensively and Offensiely.

Notly does lopes have Things like clinch trips or reactive shots in his Back Pocket, but the Brazilian have have also Shown and Upgraded Ability to Defend and Dictate Action from the clinch. Still, i’ll be curious to see how lopes’ entries stack up against Volkanovski (Should He Elect to get Offensive in that Department).

Since Reining in his Aggression and Fighting Smarter, Volkanovski Appears to Be Even Harder to Meaningfully Take Down and Control Due to His Overlall Awareness of Positioning – Particular.

Alex Volkanovski’s Counter-Grappling Notes -love that he USE MY FAVORITE MMA GETUP: HALF GUARD TO SIN-SEG GetUps

Doesn’t Reap The Leg for Extra Leverage But Nails The Cruceal Detail of Low Underhooks Behold The Ass, AS this Helps Thwart Front-Khounters

– Dan Tom (@dantommma) February 7, 2023

Even When Taken Down, Volkanovski Displays Solid Head Positioning and Smart Details Like A Low Underhook (Limiting Front-Khonters) WHEN LOOKING TOECUTE THINGS LIKE

Even When Taken Down by Chad Mendes and Rear-Mounted, Volkanovski’s Deliberate Reach Across/Framing Creates the Illusion of Further Back Exposures Half-Guard) as the Basic Theme/Muscle Memory from Above Also Gets The Job Done Here: pic.twitter.com/nehnxtpitc

– Dan Tom (@dantommma) February 7, 2023

Offensivly, Volkanovski Sems to Stay Consistent with Said Trends, Appearing to Prefer More Efficiency Options Like Inside Trips from The clinch HE USED TO FAVOR. And WHEN VOLKANOVSKI CAN ESTABLISH TOP POSITION, HE EMBRESESH HIS HONEY BADGER-LIKE SENSIBILITIES BY STAKING CLAIMS TO POSITIONS THRUGH PUNING STRIKES AND RIDES.

Alexander Volkanovski Vs. Diego Lopes Odds The ODDSMakers and the Public Slightly Favor the Former Champion, Listing Volkanovski -132 and Lopes +104 Via Fanduel.

Alexander Volkanovski Vs. Diego Lopes Predict, Pick Between The Legitimate Allure of Lopes and the Looming Statistic of Fighters Failing to Win Titles Past 35 in the Lighter Weight Classes, It’s No Surprise to See Mma Betters Backing.

Noty do mma gamblers tend to favor youngTes, but they also value measurements likely height more than a woman in her early 20s on tinder does.

I MEAN, this Card is Jam-Packed with More Proven Products That Are Schorter and Older Facing Off Against Yonger, Larger Opportunists-and in every Fight Fight Public Money is pouring in.

Now, The Sad Is That This Is Part And Parcel with The Fight Game As People Who Blindly Bet Against Aging Fighters Seemingly Make Okay, More Often. Neverthaless, there are still things that are too differently to look past.

Aside from Seemingly Being Easy for People to Forget That Volkanovski Was Considered The Top Pound-For-For-Pow Fighter Not Too Long ago, he have roun wso wso. Both Adjust and Push the Pace. LOPES, ON THE Other Hand, Has Shown to Flag in Three-Round Affairs ifs Unable to Find a Finish.

Don’t get me wrong: lopes is a proven Finisher who had the to -to -to -to -hurt Volkanovski.

WHETHER LOPES IS LAUNCHING HARD Calf Kicks to Disrupt Volkanovski’s Stance or Is Trying to Replicate The Uppercut Success That Max Holloway Found in Hiseries With. A UFC Championship.

The Potential Problem, However, Is That Lopes’ Hardwering to Return With Power Could Start to Hit A Hard Point of Diminishing Returns Against a Fighter Like Volkanov. And if Volkanovski Can Dictate Jab and Leg-Kick Traffic Like I Suspect He Can, Thon Don’T Surprised to See His Right Hand (From Both Stans) culprits.

I don’t doubt lopes’ skills or the fact that he’ll likely be on the right side of some big moments in this figh. But if he can’t a Finish by the 7-8 minute Mark, THEN I BELIEVE HIS ON-PAPER CHANCES at SUCCCCCCCESS WILL START TO DRASTICALLY DIMINISH.

As per USUAL, I’ll Be Official Sringing with The More Proven Product To Survive The Early Scares and Pull Away Down The Stretch by Reminding the Masses of His Vicious Game Gund-Affond

The Pick Is Volkanovski to Force A Stoppage by Strikes in Round 4.

Predict: Volkanovski Inside the Distance

Alexander Volkanovski Vs. Diego Lopes Start Time, WHERE TO WATCH As the main event, Volkanovski and lopes are experted to make their Walks to the Octagon at Approximately 12:30 am et. The Fight Streams on Espn+ Pay-Per-View.

For more on the Card, Visit Mma Junkie’s Event Hub for UFC 314.