Despite Craig Jones labeling Diego Lopes’ BJJ as arguably the UFC’s best, Alexander Volkanovski is not concerned about his submission threat
Alexander Volkanovski is preparing to face Diego Lopes in the main event of UFC 314 for the vacant featherweight title. 'The Great' has fought some of the best fighters of the current generation, namely Islam Makhachev, Max Holloway, and recently, Ilia Topuria.
But his upcoming clash could see him face a new challenge, as Volkanovski's grappling coach, Craig Jones, believes Lopes has some of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) he has ever seen.
Jones is one of the leading minds in BJJ, and as such, he began working with Volkanovski prior to his clash with submission specialist Brian Ortega at UFC 266 in 2021.
The BJJ athlete has worked with his fellow Australian ever since, and in November 2023, he was captured sharing some immense praise for the grappling skillset of Lopes.
Ahead of the former champion's upcoming title fight, he was interviewed by ENGAGE, where he was asked to share what Lopes presented to him as a fighter. Volkanovski said this:
"He's dangerous, he's gonna be dangerous everywhere. So I need to sharpen up everything, right? Even if I want to go the wrestling route, or the grappling route, I think I dominate there anyway. Everyone knows him for his jiu-jitsu, but trust me, I ain't worried if it goes there. I'll show the world, and him, that I'm just different."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (6:55):
Alexander Volkanovski reflects on putting fighting "second" for the first time in his career
For Alexander Volkanovski, the past 15 years have been about one thing: being the best fighter in the world. 'The Great' has spoken about his insatiable work ethic and mental fortitude, and believes these characteristics helped forge him into one of the best fighters we've ever seen.
However, having been knocked out twice in a row for the first time in his career, Volkanovski has taken an extended break from competition. His previous bout was against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February 2024.
Ahead of his return at UFC 314, the former champion opened up about putting his fighting career "second" behind the rest of his life for the first time ever. He was recently interviewed by ESPN MMA, where he said this:
"It's the longest break I've ever had, but even when I have a break I'm in the gym alot more. So I even pulled back on the gym... For once in my career I had my training schedule and fighting second... That was different for me... You are gonna ask yourself, 'This is unfamiliar... have you lost it?'"
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (4:05):