Alexander Volkanovski has heaped praise on Diego Lopes for giving him a tough fight at UFC 314.
'The Great' broke the over-35 curse by winning the featherweight title at 36 years old. He also ended the fight of the night drought that had plagued the last four UFC events. Overall, 314 was a dynamite card complete with finishes and grudge matches.
Reflecting on his second ascension to the throne, Volkanovski has nothing but nice words for Lopes...
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the victory, Volkanovski detailed the gnarly injuries he sustained from Lopes' onslaught.
"I'm still recovering over here, look at this," Volkanovski pointed to his face. "Lopes, well done mate you did a great job. A lot of cuts, I have a [lot of cuts in my mouth.] It's making it hard to eat.
"I'll be feeling the pain from Lopes for weeks. ... He's a good dude he probably doesn't want to see me in pain, but if it makes him feel any better, have a look mate. You did great."
During a post-fight interview with FOX Australia, Volkanovski revealed a punch from Lopes in the fourth round had caused him to lose vision.
"It went from nothing which made me go ‘oh s***, this ain’t good’, to a little blur. . . . Then it came back a little towards the end. I couldn’t tell you [which shot caused it]."
Also reflecting on Volkanovski's performance was his head coach, Joe Lopez, who told Submission Radio that Volkanovski might have broken his hand in the fight.
It would make sense with the concussive shots he was landing on Lopes...
"He might have broke his hand. We've still got to get that X-Ray."
With all this in mind, a quick turnaround for Volkanovski might be out of the question. 'The Great' fancies one or two more fights in 2025.
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