EXCLUSIVE: Alexander Volkanovski’s coach gives update on Aussie UFC star after brutal knockout and reveals the first thing he said to him after waking up
- Joe Lopez says Volkanovski was starting to find his range
- Revealed Aussie asked him ‘what happened?’ after KO
- Said Volkanovski is ‘positive’ despite the defeat
Alexander Volkanovski’s long-time coach Joe Lopez has provided an update on the Australian star after he fell to Georgia’s Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 298 on Sunday.
The undefeated Topuria stopped Volkanovski in the second round to claim the featherweight title in Los Angeles, ending ‘The Great’s’ four-year reign.
‘El Matador’ made good on his pre-fight promise to end it early knocked out Volkanovski with a thunderous right hand with 1.28 left in the round.
A stunned Volkanovski then dusted himself off and shared a respectful moment with the new champion, but requested an immediate rematch.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Lopez said Volkanovski is “positive” despite the loss.
Alex Volkanovski’s coach Joe Lopez says the Australian MMA star is ‘positive’
Topuria stopped Volkanovski in the second round to claim the UFC featherweight title
“Alex was going over the game plan, found his range and started tweaking him,” he said.
“(I) was disappointed (by the result), knowing that Alex has much better skills.”
The stoppage marked the second successive KO defeat for the Wollongong native – who was also knocked unconscious by Islam Makhachev’s header last October.
Lopez said the first thing Volkanovski said to him when he regained his senses was, “What happened?”.
“We knew he (Topuria) had a chance at a puncher in this fight – and he got that punch,” Lopez explained.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg shocked some UFC fans by appearing on Volkanovski’s strike squad for the fight.
Zuckerberg, who trains in mixed martial arts and was scheduled to fight fellow billionaire Elon Musk, sat cageside earlier in the evening before donning a Team Volkanovski tracksuit ahead of the fight.
Lopez says he wasn’t fascinated by the fact that the billionaire tech genius was part of the team.
Lopez revealed that Volkanovski asked him what happened after he regained consciousness
Topuria has indicated that he is open to a Volkanovski rematch
Lopez says it was “no problem” having billionaire tech genius Mark Zuckerberg on the crew
“He’s just a different person,” Lopez said.
“It doesn’t matter to me anyway.”
During his post-fight press conference, Topuria seemed willing to give Volkanovski an immediate rematch.
“He’s such a good person, and to be honest, right now I’m thinking, ‘Okay, I’m going to give him a rematch because he’s a good person,’” Topuria said of Volkanovski.
“But at the same time, it’s time to move on, it’s time to clean up the division a little bit. It’s time for the new generation to have new challengers and new faces…
“I’ll look for that, but my job is to fight.
“Whoever they tell me to fight next, I’ll be there.”