Alexander Volkanovski’s victory over Diego Lopes at UFC 314 on Saturday night came at a cost, as he potentially sustained a broken hand during the five-round featherweight title bout.
Despite the injury, Volkanovski secured a unanimous decision win with scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47, reclaiming the 145-pound belt.
Volkanovski’s coach, Joe Lopez, discussed the potential injury in a recent interview with Submission Radio.
“He might have broke his hand, we still gotta get that X-ray. He did hurt his hand … It was earlier in the fight. Alex didn’t say anything about it [at the time], just at the end he was just saying, ‘I think I busted my hand.’” Lopez also noted the physical toll of the fight, adding, “I can’t remember which round. But yeah, he’s got a bit of a sore foot and just the bumps and bruises after having a five round war with a warrior.”
Lopez credited Diego Lopes for disrupting their initial game plan.
“After that first round, Diego channeled his inner Jose Aldo because man, his hips were on fire. We couldn’t get him back down. He did not wanna go back down there … We wanted to take Diego down or get him against the fence because he is very dangerous. He’s very explosive, and you could see he’s super tough. Alex put some big shots on him, and he he wore them like they were nothing.”
