Longtime UFC broadcaster Jon Anik believes Diego Lopes hit the brakes at an inopportune time at UFC 314.
UFC featherweight contender Diego Lopes fell just short of a championship belt at UFC 314 earlier this month. But for Jon Anik, while Lopes didn’t hurt his stock in his first UFC title fight, his failure to pressure Alexander Volkanovski late might’ve cost him.
Lopes lost to Volkanovski by unanimous decision for the then-vacant UFC featherweight title in Miami. It was the biggest fight of Lopes’s career after a quick ascent up the featherweight ladder.
Despite suffering from the jaws of defeat, Lopes put Volkanovski in deep trouble several times in the fight, including a Round 2 knockdown in the closing seconds of the round. He also badly stunned Volkanovski in Round 4 in a late come-from-behind effort.
Jon Anik says Diego Lopes let Alexander Volkanovski off the hook late at UFC 314
Lopes rocked Volkanovski with a right hand that appeared to compromise his rival’s vision in the fourth round. Despite forcing Volkanovski on his back foot, Lopes’s activity level lessened as Volkanovski had his back against the cage, which led to Volkanovski escaping from the scary moment with ample time to recover.
Sitting alongside Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier, Anik feels the wild exchange in Round 4 could’ve ended up turning the tide for Lopes.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Anik highlighted a moment he feels Lopes should’ve capitalized on late at UFC 314.
“I think there’s an argument for 50-45 Volkanovski based upon my re-watch and my sort of research, in a retroactive way into the scoring,” Anik said of the UFC 314 headliner. “The biggest punch of the fight was landed in Round 4, and I would say respectfully, shame on Diego Lopes for not following up.
“But [Volkanovski] did land twice as many strikes in Round 4, and I guess now I can understand why [judge Sal d’Amato] would score that round for [Diego]. If you land the biggest strike of the fight and you come somewhat close to maybe putting the guy away, is that not your round?”
Despite Lopes’s Round 4 threat, Volkanovski played the ‘matador’ role well in Round 5, earning the nod on all three judges’ scorecards. Lopes’s defeat snapped a five-fight winning streak, including recent wins over Brian Ortega and Dan Ige.
THE EXCHANGE BETWEEN DIEGO LOPES AND ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI IN THE 4TH ROUND🔥🔥🔥#UFC314 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/68GrHja2qL
— FEDZ_MMA (@Fedzmma) April 13, 2025
UFC legend: Alexander Volkanovski ‘looked old’ in UFC 314 win
Volkanovski’s return to the featherweight throne concerned UFC legend Chael Sonnen. In a post-fight breakdown, Sonnen highlighted several shots landed by Lopes on Volkanovski that arguably wouldn’t’ve landed earlier in Volkanovski’s career.
Volkanovski bounced back after back-to-back knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria. After falling to Topuria at UFC 298, Volkanovski took a rare leave of absence to recover, which paid off at UFC 314.
Next up for Volkanovski is a likely matchup with Movsar Evloev. After a 19-fight unbeaten run to begin his career, Evloev is looking for a title shot, after most recently defeating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310.
