"Lopes (27-7) lost a bid for the vacant title against Volkanovski (27-4) in their first encounter at UFC 314 last year. The Brazilian has since rebounded with a stoppage win over Jean Silva. Meanwhile, the undefeated Evloev (19-0) has been a perennial contender with wins over the likes of Lopes, Dan Ige, Arnold Allen and Aljamain Sterling. Murphy (17-0) is also undefeated with wins over the likes of Edson Barboza, Ige, Josh Emmett and Aaron Pico."
"A Promise to the Other Contenders "I am planning on going out there and not taking any damage and have a quick turnaround... then maybe we can do it with someone like Movsar or Lerone Murphy. I know they are disappointed, but their fight ahead won't be too far away. I'll make sure that happens," Volkanovski said on "The Ariel Helwani Show.""
Alexander Volkanovski will defend the featherweight title in a rematch with Diego Lopes at UFC 325 on Jan. 31 in Sydney. Many fans criticized the Lopes matchup, viewing Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy as more deserving, and both Evloev and Murphy expressed disappointment. Volkanovski vows to minimize damage against Lopes to allow a quick turnaround for a subsequent defense against Evloev or Murphy. Lopes (27-7) previously lost to Volkanovski at UFC 314 and rebounded with a stoppage over Jean Silva. Evloev (19-0) and Murphy (17-0) remain undefeated top contenders with notable wins over high-level opponents.
Read at Sherdog
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