Diego Lopes is keeping his head high despite another tough night against Alexander Volkanovski, even as the physical toll of UFC 325 continues to sink in.
Lopes came up short in his second attempt to dethrone the featherweight champion, dropping a lopsided unanimous decision to Volkanovski in Saturday’s main event in Sydney. The five-round battle sent Lopes straight to a local hospital, where early fears suggested he may have broken both feet.
“Some nights you’re at the afterparty, some nights you’re at the ER,” Lopes’ manager Jason House wrote on Instagram. “But every morning I give thanks for the opportunity to live this life with my best friends.”
Footage from the fight showed Lopes limping after throwing a late kick, and he struggled to walk as he exited the octagon. While the initial diagnosis raised alarms, Lopes later confirmed that surgery won’t be necessary.
“Everything is fine,” Lopes wrote from his hospital bed on Instagram. “The initial diagnosis at the arena was that I might have broken both feet. We went to the hospital, they ran tests, and everything was fine, just some fractures in both feet, but surgery isn’t necessary. I’ll be using boots and crutches for a few weeks.”
The loss marked Lopes’ second defeat to Volkanovski in just 10 months. He earned the rematch with a highlight-reel spinning back-elbow knockout of Jean Silva last September, but once again struggled to solve the champion’s movement, timing, and composure over 25 minutes.
Outside of a brief flash knockdown late in the fight, Lopes couldn’t generate sustained offense. Volkanovski controlled the pace with sharp footwork and clean counters, cruising to a decision win.
Still, Lopes showed nothing but respect afterward, acknowledging the gap while refusing to make excuses.
“No excuses,” Lopes wrote in a post-fight message. “You’re ‘The Great’ for a reason. Thanks for the fight.”
At just 30 years old, Lopes remains one of the most dangerous contenders in the featherweight division. While Volkanovski likely moves on to challengers like Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy, Lopes now turns his focus to recovery and the long road back to another title opportunity.
