“UFC fighters aged 35 and older fall to 1-22 in men’s weight classes 170 pounds and below in championship bouts,” MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter wrote on X after Alexander Volkanovski dropped the belt to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. This is a staggering number that has since changed to 2-24 with Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano falling prey to the age curse against Islam Makhachev, while Belal Muhammad defied it against Leon Edwards. Can Volkanovski avoid it this time around? Chael Sonnen believes so unless this one thing happens.
While speaking on his recent YouTube video, ‘The Bad Guy’ decided to give the Aussie star a reality check ahead of his fight against Diego Lopes at UFC 314. He said, “[If] He [Volkanovski] loses to Lopes, he is getting knocked out. He is not going to lose a decision to Lopes. Once somebody gets that chin or once somebody gets that jaw, that’s another thing. They just don’t come back. [There’s] not very many times, you can bring a guy back.”
Fair point. ‘Uncle Chael’ is not wrong to assume that a third loss in a row would tremendously hurt Volkanovski’s stock. Look at what happened to Israel Adesanya after losing to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. He went from a PPV headliner to a high-profile Fight Night headliner, only to lose a third straight bout to Nassourdine Imavov. Sonnen predicted something similar for Volkanovski if he were to lose in Miami.
“Guy makes a lot of money. You gotta put him in a main event. Guy’s got three losses in a row? We can’t main event him. What do we do? And many times you go to the only other option, which is you stop doing it,” he said. But what are the odds of that happening?
Sonnen could not deny the fact that the 26-4-0 former featherweight champ was more than capable of dealing with punches and kicks from Lopes. ‘The Bad Guy’ said, “It’s also a very good matchup for Volk. If he can deal with that pressure… I’m here to tell you, physically he can deal with the punches and kicks of Lopes.” But what about the 25 whole minutes of the torture? This is when Sonnen declared, “It’s always a more dangerous game when you got to keep that focus and you gotta deal with those punches and kicks for 25 minutes. That’s a big ask. So what happens to Volk if he loses to Lopes? Everything at that point would be on the table.”
Former champ Daniel Cormier shares a similar tune and declared that this fight is more important for Volkanovski than for Lopes. The fighter who was at the top of the P4P list and the featherweight division and had won fights for a whole decade is now getting another (possibly final) chance at redemption.
Daniel Cormier gives a reality check to Volkanovski
Cormier pointed out that UFC 314 could be a return for Volkanovski or the end of his legacy. While speaking to Sonnen, DC said, “He’s getting it now. It feels like he’s in there if he becomes champ, no skin, nothing lost. But if he loses, he propels the young guy forward. Now, Diego Lopes is truly the featherweight champion. He just beat who could be the greatest featherweight champion of all time. Do you feel that it’s a great fight but Volk, if he isn’t careful he becomes the honky tonk man.”
The fighters have no animosity and share mutual respect, but none of them will budge from their battle stance. “I think Lopes is in for a very, very hard fight. He’s a gamer. He’s a great dude. I’ve got a lot of respect for him – very nice fella,” said Volkanovski on his own YouTube channel. He added, “I’m sure he’s expecting to go out there and win the belt, but I’m sorry, mate. That ain’t happening.”
On the other hand, 26-6-0 Lopes posted on X about his work and dedication to combat sports for so long that he won’t fail now. The duo is blazing with determination ahead of UFC 314. So who do you think will win? Whose determination will shine brighter? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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