Diego Lopes reflects on UFC 325 loss as Volkanovski’s future plans stay unclear

Saturday at 11: 00 a. m. ET, diego lopes described himself as “at peace” more than a month after his UFC 325 loss to Alexander Volkanovski. What remains unresolved is what direction diego lopes takes next — including his hinted move to lightweight — and when Volkanovski will clarify his own timeline after beating Lopes twice.

Diego Lopes details the adjustments he says he made at UFC 325

Diego Lopes said he has “no regrets” about the UFC 325 rematch with Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight belt, which took place at the end of January. In that rematch, Volkanovski won in lopsided fashion, and Lopes said he accepted the result without searching for excuses.

Lopes said the public discussion after the first fight centered on what he didn’t do, and he framed the rematch as an answer to that criticism. He said he attempted takedowns in the second fight, but described Volkanovski’s defense as too effective to turn those moments into something decisive. Lopes also said he kicked frequently and characterized the effort as physically costly, adding that he “destroyed” his feet kicking.

Still, Lopes’s central claim was that his team executed the best plan they could and that he personally did “a bit of everything. ” He said he was able to take Volkanovski down, lock in a submission attempt, defend takedowns and submissions, cut angles when Volkanovski moved left, and kick — yet he said it still was not enough on that night.

Alexander Volkanovski’s edge, as Diego Lopes frames it, and what’s disputed

Lopes said he has received plenty of comments questioning why he lost, and he pushed back on the idea that the outcome needs a complicated explanation. He repeatedly credited Volkanovski, describing him as elite and “intelligent” in the way he fights, while also pointing to details he believes show the rematch was more competitive than some fans perceived.

Lopes cited strike totals he said were close, describing a narrow gap round-by-round. He pointed to specific numbers — “169 to 168” — while arguing that the difference between them was often a strike or two, and at most five strikes in some rounds. He also pointed to Round 5 as a turning point in scrambles where he said Volkanovski gained an advantage.

Yet several elements remain unconfirmed as of 11: 00 a. m. ET from the information available here. Lopes referenced “stats” and round-by-round margins, but no official UFC statistics were provided in the context to independently verify the figures he cited. The exact scoring details from the judges and the specific official round totals are also unconfirmed as of 11: 00 a. m. ET within this material.

The next decisions that will clarify paths for Diego Lopes and Volkanovski

Diego Lopes’s immediate competitive future is not fully defined in the available information. His record was listed as 27-8 as a professional following the loss, and he “hinted at potentially moving up to lightweight. ” That potential move is a key open question because it would change which opponents and title picture he’s pursuing next.

For now, the lightweight move remains unconfirmed as of 11: 00 a. m. ET because the context includes only a hint, not a formal announcement of a weight-class change, a signed bout agreement, or a scheduled next fight.

Volkanovski’s immediate future is also unresolved within the material provided. The headlines supplied alongside the context indicate that Volkanovski signed a new UFC contract after UFC 325 and that he revealed a retirement plan before Lopes, but the supporting text for those points was not included. As a result, any contract terms, timing, or retirement details are unconfirmed as of 11: 00 a. m. ET in this write-up.

What would move this story forward are specific, observable events:

• A confirmed UFC announcement of Diego Lopes’s next bout, including the contracted weight class.
• A confirmed statement or official release detailing Volkanovski’s contract status and any stated retirement plan.
• A confirmed UFC schedule entry that identifies when either fighter is expected to compete next.

The next confirmed resolution point in the current record is tied to official fight-booking announcements rather than Diego Lopes’s reflections: once a bout is formally scheduled, his hinted lightweight direction would be confirmed. If a lightweight move is confirmed in an official bout announcement, a change in opponents and rankings is expected to follow on the UFC’s posted schedule.