Diego Lopes believes he has corrected key mistakes ahead of his second UFC title challenge against Alexander Volkanovski. Lopes lost a five-round decision to Volkanovski at UFC 314 last year in Miami but will get a rematch later this month at UFC 325 on the champion’s home soil in Sydney. Despite rebounding with a highlight-reel knockout of Jean Silva, Lopes says confidence issues and Volkanovski’s discipline prevented him from using his grappling in their first fight. He did not attempt a single takedown, instead watching Volkanovski repeatedly reset on advice from his corner. Lopes said hearing the Australian’s coaches reinforce the game plan made it difficult to find openings and affected his confidence. While impressed by Volkanovski’s execution, Lopes believes the rematch will be different after identifying those issues. He also admitted surprise that the champion is not considering retirement, describing Volkanovski as a fighter driven by challenge rather than career timing.
