Alex Volkanovski’s trainer Joe Lopez explains why he’d beat Islam, Khabib and Conor McGregor UFC 284
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Alex Volkanovski’s trainer, Joe Lopez, is confident the featherweight kingpin will etch his name in the history book at UFC 284 against Islam Makhachev, insisting his fighter would have no problem with Octagon legends Conor McGregor and Khabib either. Nurmagomedov.
Volkanovski, 34, will make his lightweight debut against the all-powerful Dagestan in a bid to join a very select group of fighters for two-division reign.
Alex Volkanovski’s trainer, Joe Lopez, is confident the featherweight kingpin (pictured together in 2020) will make history at UFC 284 against Islam Makhachev.
Volkanovski, 34, is a huge underdog against the Russian, but Lopez thinks you’d be crazy not to put your money on the reigning featherweight champion.
The Australian is a clear underdog but trainer Joe Lopez, who has been with ‘The Great’ since day one and still makes him rampage in the gym from time to time, believes the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter is being underestimated. .
He believes his charge will beat Makhachev, for the same reason he believes Volkanovsi would have beaten Dagestani superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“A lot of people don’t understand how strong Alex really is,” Lopez says. It is very difficult to keep it under control.
He believes his charge will beat Makhachev (pictured), for the same reason he believes Volkanovsi would have beaten Dagestani superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Lopez believes the Australian’s strength would be the key to beating Nurmagomedov (pictured)
‘Islam will probably take Alex down, but will he be able to hold him down? He will be discouraged when Alex keeps getting up. He will affect you mentally.
“I think Alex is probably a better fighter. If they knock him down, he’ll get back up.
Lopez says people overlook the featherweight champion’s fighting skills, and that UFC icon Conor McGregor should also be careful if they ever cross paths.
‘Conor is a great striker and a great athlete, but he’s been out of the game for a while and I think the hunger isn’t there like it used to be.
“He’s never done well against grappler-fighters, and people think Alex is just a puncher, but he was originally a grappler.”
Lopez says people overlook the featherweight champion’s fighting skills, and that UFC icon Conor McGregor (pictured) should also be careful if they ever cross paths.
Volkanovski pictured himself playing rugby league for Warilla Gorillas, where he weighed in at 97kg.
“Alex always wants to improve and is always trying something new.”
Lopez, who has been training fighters for more than 20 years, fondly remembers the day Volkanovski walked into the Freestyle Fighting Gym in Windang, on the south coast of New South Wales.
He also vividly remembers the moment he realized the future champion wasn’t built like everyone else.
“It was his first fight,” recalls López. ‘He sparred with a heavyweight who had had a few fights. He didn’t want me to spar with the guy right away, but the other guy’s trainer put them together.
‘In the first round, Alex submitted this heavyweight three times. After he finished the match, I asked him if he was interested in having a real fight.
Volkanovski’s experience training with bigger opponents in the gym, and his athletic background as a rugby league prop, where he weighed in at up to 97kg playing for Warilla Gorillas, is another reason why Lopez believes Alex will beat Makhachev.
‘maximum [Holloway] it was much taller. Islam will probably be a bit heavier. We could reach the weight of Islam, but we want to maintain mobility. The lighter you are, the faster you will be. We will gain a few more kilos.
Volkanovski has also recruited one of the best grappling talents in the world, Craig Jones, to help him prepare for UFC 284, and Lopez believes it will be a huge benefit to the Australian.
‘Alex has experimented and fought with higher weights. I feel like he performs better a little bit lighter than he is right now.
Volkanovski has also recruited one of the best grappling talents in the world, Craig Jones, to help him prepare for UFC 284, and Lopez believes it will be a huge benefit to the Australian.
He has proven very difficult to submit in the Octagon, with his most troubling moment coming against Brian Ortega at UFC 266.
He has proven very difficult to submit in the Octagon, with his most troubling moment coming against Brian Ortega at UFC 266 (pictured)
The champion survived a deep guillotine choke that Lopez admits was the only time he was truly concerned for his fighter.
‘I didn’t want to lose hope. I know Volk’s tenacity to get through things. The only time I worried was when he stopped moving,” Lopez recalled.
‘I thought you were out. She had been moving and then stopped. I thought she was out. That’s the only time I’ve ever felt like this.
“I don’t normally panic or stress. I can’t let emotion get in the way of what’s in front of me.
Lopez knows that Volkanovski will have a lot of support next weekend and says that half of Wollongong have flown to Perth to support them.
Lopez knows that Volkanovski will have a lot of support next weekend and says that half of Wollongong have flown to Perth to support them.
Even some merchants who are working from home have said that they will not work that day because they will be traveling west.
“Everyone I talk to is flying to Perth,” Lopez laughed.
‘Wollongong, all of Illawarra will skyrocket. The bars will be full. All the houses will be full sitting around the TV. It will be amazing. We love support.