Patience is a virtue for Volkanovski. Before waiting and seeing how things were going to play out, he was likely getting a shot against Ilia which was not going to go well. But he sat still, didn't rush into another fight and now has the best possible circumstances to get his title back.
If we are comparing skills, this is the easiest Volkanovski pick of all time. His cardio, pressure, and pace combined with his actual technical skills would likely be too much for Diego who is already know to fade as fights go on. But if we start to factor in age and durability, all of the sudden this is a very different fight. I understand it was Ilia and Islam, but Volk was out cold in his last 2 fights and at his age, to go out cold in back to back fights is a big problem. I know we have all seen the training footage of Diego absolutely murdering mitts, but we also saw him almost finish the divisions most durable guy on his feet. I think this fight can only go 1 of 2 days. Either Volk sets an unmatchable pace and grinds Diego down over 5 rounds, or Diego gets Volk out of there fairly early. I ultimately think youth and power will be the difference here and we discussed in a Bad Take video, its very hard to get your belt back. Diego will be the low confidence pick, but the high confidence bet will be WITD Dec. No Action on Lopes.
Alexander Volkanovski
Alexander Volkanovski is in the conversation for one of the best pound for pound fighters we have ever seen. He has destroyed every featherweight they have given him and while he won't go down as a 2 division champ he may go down as a 2 time champion. He has takedowns, striking, grappling, cardio, fight IQ and outside of getting older and taking a few tough fights on short notice, he's been perfect. He lands more than 6 significant strikes per minute and averages almost 2 takedowns per 15 minutes which is a testament to his well rounded skillset. He is coming off the title losing KO to Ilia Topuria.
Diego Lopes
Diego Lopes is a dangerous grappler who is also service as coach some of the better fighters in Mexico. While he doesn't have the best takedowns or takedown defense, his BJJ is very dangerous as are his hands. He is a well rounded guy who also likes to throw heavy powershots and chase finishes. His striking can get wild but he keeps things in combinations and likes to methodically work forward until he has the opportunity to uncork. He is coming off the decision win over Brian Ortega where he had him knocked out on the feet but then hit him so hard again, he woke him up.
