TLDR
- Alexander Volkanovski dislocated his shoulder four weeks before UFC 325 and nearly withdrew from the fight
- Coach Joe Lopez revealed the injury in a post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier
- Despite the compromised shoulder, Volkanovski won by unanimous decision over Diego Lopes
- At 37, Volkanovski became the oldest fighter to successfully defend the UFC featherweight title
- Volkanovski is interested in facing the winner of Movsar Evloev vs. Lerone Murphy at UFC London
Sources: Bloody Elbow | MMA Fighting | Sportsnaut | EssentiallySports
Alexander Volkanovski suffered a serious shoulder injury four weeks before UFC 325 that nearly forced him to withdraw from his featherweight title defense against Diego Lopes. His coach Joe Lopez revealed the extent of the injury in an interview with Daniel Cormier following the February 1 event in Sydney, Australia.
“To be fair, Alex, four weeks ago, we didn’t think he was going to fight,” Lopez told Cormier. “He pulled his shoulder out. Really. He’s been compromised for the last four weeks with a busted shoulder.”
The injury happened during training a month before the fight. Volkanovski’s team seriously considered pulling him from the bout at the Qudos Bank Arena.
Despite fighting with the injured shoulder, Volkanovski delivered a strong five-round performance against Lopes. He won by unanimous decision and retained his featherweight championship.
Volkanovski on His Performance and What’s Next: 🏆
“My main focus was taking no damage. I’m 37. After our first fight I was beat up bad and needed time to recover. Tonight went well. Could I have done more? Maybe. But more is always expected from the challenger.”
On what’s… pic.twitter.com/LUwNL1Vz4A
— The Fight Fanatic🥊 (@FightFanatic_) February 1, 2026
Mental Shift Made the Difference
Lopez said the biggest change from their first fight was Volkanovski’s mental approach. The coach noted that self-doubt had affected the champion during his initial camp for the first Lopes fight at UFC 314.
“Like I’ve been saying, after the first fight, Volk was sort of second-guessing himself the whole of the first Diego camp,” Lopez explained. “With this camp, Volk was back to himself. He was confident, didn’t have to say anything, it was just old Volk back again.”
Lopes had several moments during the fight where he threatened to upset the champion. However, Volkanovski kept his composure and consistently won the striking exchanges to earn a convincing victory on all three judges’ scorecards.
The injury was not visible during the fight. Volkanovski showed no obvious signs of being hindered by the shoulder problem throughout the 25-minute contest.
What’s Next for the Champion
At 37 years old, Volkanovski became the oldest fighter to successfully defend the UFC featherweight title. His victory sets up potential matchups with undefeated contenders in the division.
Volkanovski has expressed interest in the winner of the upcoming UFC London main event on March 21. Movsar Evloev will face Lerone Murphy in what appears to be a title eliminator bout.
“Undefeated sounds good. I mean, they are both undefeated in the UFC,” Volkanovski said during his post-fight press conference. “I think Movsar’s 19-0, he’s got that wrestling and grappling style that’s taking over the UFC at the moment. The new era, they could say.”
Volkanovski indicated he favors Evloev to win the matchup. A fight between the champion and the Russian wrestler would create a classic striker versus grappler showdown.
Lopez joked about how much longer Volkanovski plans to continue fighting. “Maybe we can get another four [years] out of him,” the coach said.
Volkanovski has made it clear he welcomes any opponent the UFC presents to him. The champion remains open to defending his title against whoever earns the next shot in the featherweight division.
