Alexander Volkanovski has left no doubt about his intentions in Sunday’s UFC 325 blockbuster, revving up a raucous Sydney crowd at Friday night’s ceremonial weigh-ins with “the belt is staying here”.
After an incredibly cordial fight week build, Australia’s UFC featherweight champ undoubtedly lifted the intensity for what was his final face off against Brazilian Diego Lopes.
UFC 325: Volkanovski vs Lopes 2 | SUN 1 FEB 1PM AEDT | For the first time in his storied career, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will defend his championship in his home city of Sydney, in a rematch with Brazil’s Diego Lopes. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
Interviewed afterwards by UFC host Jon Anik, who was decked out in a Vegemite hoodie, Lopes stressed the impending rematch was set to be significantly different to the first fight, while Volk declared: “Youse are in for a treat, let’s goooo”.
Cue pandemonium.
Elsewhere inside Qudos Bank Arena, undercard fighters Oban Elliott and Jono Micallef had to be separated by matchmaker Mick Maynard, who was filling in due to the absence of UFC boss Dana White.
As revealed by Fox Sports Australia this week, Australia’s Micallef and ‘The Welsh Gangster’ were involved a testy fight week confrontation at the UFC fighter hotel, with two wildly varying accounts of what went down.
Volk looking for “calculated bombs” | 04:32
And after stepping off the scales Friday night, Micallef showed no signs of wanting to end said beef – initially feinting a lunge forward at Elliott, who responded in kind as Maynard rushed in to separate them.
“You’re f***ing dead,” Elliott then shouted, making a throat slitting gesture as he spoke.
Soon after, New Zealand fan favourite Dan Hooker took his daughter on stage for the ceremonials, while Mauricio Ruffy, during his own staredown, stood for several moments while fellow UFC lightweight Rafael Fiziev shouted in his face.
Then, as the pair separated, the still silent Ruffy held out a hand to the crowd and moved it back and forth – mimicking what he suggested was a shaking rival.
Sydney fans also gave a huge pop to returning heavyweight Tai Tuivasa, who could potentially blow the roof off Qudos on Sunday with a win.
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Volk: “I cannot wait to put on a show!” | 02:45
Interviewed after facing off, Lopes was asked by Anik he the rematch would be different to their first fight last year, which Volk won by decision.
“Oh, the difference is that now I have more experience,” the challenger said. “I have more confidence in myself. too.
“People know me. Know my style of fighting.
“People know Volkanovski too. We’ll put on a great show Sunday.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s Robert Whittaker has given his take on how countryman Alexander Volkanovski gets beat in this Sunday’s UFC 325 blockbuster in Sydney – and after disagreeing with another man who held the UFC middleweight crown, Chris Weidman, on a special weigh-in broadcast show.
Looking to begin his second reign as UFC featherweight king, Volkanovski was the second fighter to hit the scales at Friday afternoon’s official weigh-ins at the UFC fighter hotel, recording 65.54kg.
Brazilian challenger Diego Lopes, meanwhile, was first on the scales, and also made weight at 65.77kg.
Yet Bobby Knuckles?
He was Stateside for a special UFC 325 panel program that also included Weidman and UFC fighting analyst Michael Cheisa.
Whittaker and Weidman even opened the show by disagreeing over how Sunday’s main event will play out between two men who threw down as recently as last April.
Fighting for the vacant UFC featherweight strap at UFC 314, Volkanovski won via comprehensive decision.
And while the now 37-year-old hasn’t fought since reclaiming gold, Lopes went and stopped Jean Silva in September – and via a brutal spinning back elbow – which has Weidman convinced the rematch will look completely different.
“This is awesome man,” the American said at the top of the show.
“Last time Lopes fought Volkanovski, he had never been a main event, had never been in a title fight, there was a lot of new stuff going on in his life and you saw it wasn’t the best Lopes.
“So now, we’re expecting him to come in with the experience of knowing what it’s like to be in there with Volkanovski and see a whole different type of flight”.
To which Whittaker replied: “I have to disagree with you there Chris.
“I don’t see what Lopes can do differently to beat Alex.
“Alex wrote the blueprint on how to beat [Lopes] in that first fight, and I didn’t see enough changes in his last fight.”
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Weidman, disagreed, and reminded how Lopes not only dropped Volkanovski in the second round of their first fight, but landed extremely heavy on him again in the fourth
“And he did have a nice knockout over Jean Silva,” Weidman countered. “Looked super dangerous.
“And if you look at that first fight, in the striking exchanges, when things got chaotic, that’s when we saw Lopes have success.
“And, look, we’re talking about Volkanovski here. So I’m not saying I’m putting all my money on Lopes.
“But I’m saying this should be a more interesting fight.
“And the last fight was super interesting. We didn’t know how it would go.”
Soon after, Whittaker was asked how he would coach Lopes to fight in the rematch.
“You’re really making me to coach against Alex Volkanovski?” Bobby Knuckles laughed.
“I’m dirty. Dirty.
Tuivasa eyes a hot new winning streak | 01:10
“But honestly, I saw it in the fighter meeting notes, [Lopes] said he’s going to push forward, be a little bit more reckless. Take the fight to Alex.
“And that is his best bet.
“Try and get his hands on Alex.
“Because Alex had perfect lateral movement in the first fight, his feinting game was on point, every time they would clash he would come out the victor.
“So Lopes needs to make it ugly. He needs to make a dogfight to make Alex uncomfortable.”
Later, Whittaker also pointed to his own unforgettable wars with Cuban monster Yoel Romero – both of which he won – when explaining how Lopes could potentially earn himself a win this time around.
“I rematched Romero, fought him twice, and sometimes it could be a disadvantage [for the champion],” he said.
“I think Alex wrote the blueprint on how to beat Lopes.
“He couldn’t have fought a better fight.
“There were moments [for Lopes], but it’s a fight.
Volk all class after Lopes staredown | 00:48
“But what happens when the opponent does something completely different? That second Romero fight, everything I had prepared for, everything I could see, everything I’d watched on tape, he did the complete opposite.
“And it was a nightmare of a fight.
“If anyone saw it, it was a nightmare of a fight.”
Elsewhere, fellow panellist Michael Chiesa said: “I don’t want to get too deep in the weeds, but the numbers didn’t tell the story in that first fight.
“I do feel like, while Volkanovski won 49-46 on the majority of judges’ scorecards, Lopes had some really big moments in that fight. And it was a really dangerous fight for Volkanovski.
“And do feel like the improvement has been made in his wrestling.
“This guy has been at Oklahoma State, one of the best college wrestling programs in the nation, and that is a great way to blend your jiujitsu and your boxing together, use the wrestling.
“So we’ll see if the improvements have been made in that department. See if it pays dividends in this fight.”
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