Joe Lopez: Movsar Evloev won't be able to handle UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski's strength
Both UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski and his coach are on board with Movsar Evloev getting the next title shot.
Volkanovski (27-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) reclaimed the featherweight title when he defeated Diego Lopes (27-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in Saturday’s UFC 314 main event at Kaseya Center from Miami.
Volkanovski’s head coach Joe Lopez is aware of Evloev’s (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) strong grappling skills, but thinks his star student will be too strong for him.
“I think he is a good wrestler, but he’s not a – what would you call him? He’s good at getting people down, but he doesn’t really do much with it once he gets them down,” Lopez told Submission Radio. “And that’s what I guess makes him boring … So he just hangs on to them, and I don’t think he’s going to be able to hang onto Volk. Volk is just so strong, and his scrambling skills, and his jiu-jitsu and wrestling are another level. Volk just picks things up, if you look at the the beginning of the camp, when we break things down, and we see what each person’s really good at.
“So we’ve got Diego. Diego’s got a pretty good guard. The way he switches from armbars to triangles to sweeps, he’s very good at. He’s got a really good repertoire there, and at the beginning with the guys that we had, Volk was getting stuck in there. (But) by the end of the camp, Volk was not having any problems at all in those positions, and I think that’s what Diego felt when Alex took him down – that it’s not a place he wants to be with Alex on top of him because like I said, Alex’s pressure when he’s on top, he feels like a heavyweight on top of you, and then he just doesn’t hang onto you. He’s just looking to land some bombs or an elbow or something on you. So, you don’t want to be on the bottom when Alex is on top.”
With Volkanovski promising to make a quick turnaround to face Evloev with a win over Lopes, the undefeated contender expects the new champion to live up to his promise.
“Congratulations on an excellent performance, you’re a true champion! Now let’s see what your word is worth! @alexvolkanovski #UFC314.”
Congratulations on an excellent performance, you’re a true champion! Now let’s see what your word is worth! @alexvolkanovski #UFC314
— Movsar Evloev (@MovsarUFC) April 13, 2025
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.