1 week Ago By BoxingNews.com
Alexander Volkanovski will face Diego Lopes at UFC 314 this weekend, as MMA insiders gave their predictions. Volkanoski will fight for the vacant UFC Featherweight Title. He lost the belt to Ilia Topuria in his last fight after the Georgian knocked him out at UFC 298 to win the title.
The loss ended Volk’s four-year reign as champion, as it was his first loss at the weight class. He was linked with the rematch, with Topuria saying he did deserve the shot. However, Topuria moved up to lightweight as he targeted a fight with UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev .
Lopes is on an impressive run of form, having not lost in his last five fights. He defeated Brian Ortega in his last fight, as he defeated him at UFC 306. Here is how MMA insiders saw the fight playing out.
Volkanovski vs. Lopes “This is going to be a crazy fight. Diego has been on the run, but I think I’m going to go with Diego.
He’s locked in,” Curtis Blaydes “His [Diego] power is phenomenal. I think he’s on fire and has a great team. That being said, coming off three losses with two knockouts is tough.
I know he was one of the best featherweights of all time, but we’ll see how he [Volk] comes back. Those three losses with two knockouts have to mess with your confidence. So, I like Diego,” Eddie Cha “A lot of people are sleeping on Diego, saying he won’t win.
But Diego is a very dangerous guy, especially in the first two or three rounds. I could definitely see him winning this fight. But obviously, you can’t sleep on Volkanovski.
I feel like a lot of people have been sleeping on him until he shows them otherwise. It’s definitely an exciting fight, but if I had to bet, I’d go with Diego,” Youssef Zalal “I think Volkanovski gets back on track. Diego Lopes is a gamer and really well-rounded.
I remember when Mozar Evloev, one of my teammates, fought Diego Lopez. It was a short-notice situation, and watching the fight, I was blown away. Diego was hanging in there and getting close to capturing a finish.
It was really impressive. But I think Volkanovski gets back on track and takes the win,” Austain Vanderford More Predictions “On paper, Volkanovski still has all the advantages, but I think this one comes down to the bigger dream. Right now, I think that’s Lopez.
He wants it bad, and I think he can get it done,” Jose Delgado “I think it’ll be interesting to see how Diego Lopez does in a five-round fight. He got a little gassed when he fought Dan Ige, who took the fight on short notice. So, I think Volkanovski will take it, mainly because of his cardio,” Julian Erosa “It’s a very interesting fight.
Diego Lopez has been on an absolute hot streak, and his boxing is very sharp. Volkanovski hasn’t had the best performances lately, but he’s still the GOAT and an amazing athlete. However, I’m actually leaning towards Lopez.
I believe he has what it takes to grab the belt. Even though Volkanovski is one of the greatest, I think Lopez, with his momentum, will put himself in a better position heading into that fight,” Modestas Bukauskas This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission.
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