Diego Lopes was noticeably limping when he left the octagon after his loss to Alexander Volkanovski in Saturday’s UFC 325 main event rematch. Now we know why.
Lopes’ (27-8 MMA, 6-3 UFC) manager, Jason House of Iridium Sports Agency, revealed after Lopes’ unanimous decision defeat to Volkanovski (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney that his fighter was taken to a hospital for broken bones in both feet.
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“Looks like we broke both feet,” House wrote on an Instagram Story. “Some nights you’re at the after party, some nights you’re at the ER.”
After falling short on the scorecards in his first matchup with Volkanovski at UFC 314 in April 2025, Lopes got a rematch with “The Great” following a thrilling finish of Jean Silva in September. There was some push back from fans that Lopes got another chance while undefeated contenders like Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy wait on the sidelines, but the UFC moved forward with the booking.
Lopes could not make significant adjustments and lost more definitively than his first attempt. It’s unknown exactly when in the fight he sustained the foot injuries and how much it compromised him, but Lopes isn’t trying to diminish the accomplishment of his opponent.
Lopes said post-fight he has “no excuses” for the result, and praised Volkanovski in a classy message (via X):
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Manager: Diego Lopes ‘broke both feet’ in UFC 325 title fight loss
