Volkanovski faces Lopes in rematch at UFC 325 in Sydney

SYDNEY (AP) — Diego Lopes seemed almost like an afterthought this week at UFC 325 media day. Some questions directed at featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski concerned whom he might fight next after facing Lopes on Sunday. The odds, however, suggest this might not be such an easy fight for Volkanovski. He is a -145 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook to defeat Lopes (27-7) for the second time in nine months. Volkanovski (27-4) conceded he couldn't take a repeat victory for granted after defeating the Brazilian by unanimous decision at UFC 314 on April 12 in Miami. "You've got to respect (Lopes' power)," Volkanovski said. "There's going to be a lot of opportunities for me to capitalize when he's that aggressive, but at the same time, you're going to have that threat of him always looking for the KO. Even if it goes to the ground, always looking for the submission. That's how he fights. That's why he's so dangerous." Volkanovski saw that up close in their prior meeting, getting floored in the second round and staggered by a punch to his eye in the fourth. Lopes then tried to finish him off in the fourth, but Volkanovski held his ground and wound up winning. "I know I made a lot of mistakes in the first fight with Volk," said Lopes, the second-ranked challenger. "I forgot things in my game plan. I think I fixed it in the training camp. I fixed many things, so it's completely different now." Volkanovski, who wore a Los Angeles Kings cap at the news conference, will have the home-country advantage. That certainly makes the bout more challenging for Lopes, who otherwise is one of the UFC's more popular fighters. The 31-year-old knows he won't be on Sunday afternoon (Saturday night EST). "I'm not worried about it (being booed)," Lopes said. "I left my home 11 days ago. For me, it's not new. Whatever place Volk fights, people are supporting him, but I'm up for this." So is Volkanovski, who last fought in Australia three years ago when he lost by unanimous decision to Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship in the main event at UFC 284. That loss before a sellout crowd of 13,000 energetic fans in Perth ended Volkanovski's 22-match winning streak. Maybe this weekend will provide a different result. "I want to have a big moment here," Volkanovski said. "That's what I love about being here in Sydney because whenever I'm traveling away, everyone can't be there live. They can't be in the arena and feel the atmosphere. "I want to go out there and look dominant and really give more of my supporters, family and friends that feeling or that moment that they're going to remember forever. They still get that feeling at home through the TV, but there ain't nothing like it Down Under. I can only imagine what that's going to be like walking out." How many more times the 37-year-old Volkanovski continues to walk into the octagon remains to be seen. He made it clear, however, that retirement isn't on his mind. Volkanovski, in responses to media questions, speculated about future potential matchups and that if he beats Lopes, he wants to take on the highest-ranked challenger. "I plan on taking minimal damage out there, having a quick turnaround and then we'll see what happens after that," Volkanovski said. "You're seeing a lot of rumors. You're seeing a lot of people, 'Aha, this is going to be his last one.' Obviously, I put that to bed. Definitely not the right time for this. "I've still got a bit left in me. That's why I want to be active because how much longer?"