After the UFC’s pointless rematch between Diego Lopes and Alexander Volkanovski concluded on Saturday night at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, the Brazilian limped his way out of the cage. It was clear that there was something wrong with his legs after his rematch loss to ‘The Great.’ That was confirmed immediately afterward.

The No. 2-ranked featherweight was taken to a hospital, and his manager, Jason House of Iridium Sports Agency, revealed on Instagram that he had broken both of his feet. Diego Lopes wrote in his IG Story, “Some nights you’re at the after party, some nights you’re at the ER.” But it seems things may not have been as bad as they first appeared.

Diego Lopes reveals the extent of his UFC 325 injury

Earlier today, the 31-year-old took to his Instagram story once again to reassure fans and ease concerns surrounding his condition. “Everything was fine,” he captioned the post, which featured a video showing Lopes’ visibly swollen feet. “The initial diagnosis at Arena was that I might have broken both feet.” However, after undergoing further evaluation at the hospital, the true extent of the injury became clear.

“They ran tests, and everything was fine—just some fractures in both feet, but surgery isn’t necessary,” he added in the Instagram story. “I’ll be using boots and crutches for a few weeks.” While surgery isn’t needed, the fractures will likely keep him on the sidelines for several weeks as he recovers.

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Regardless of the injury update, Diego Lopes’ recent run has raised questions about his standing in the division. He previously faced Alexander Volkanovski in April 2025, suffering a five-round decision loss. It was an outcome that closely mirrored his defeat at UFC 325. He then rebounded by taking on Jean Silva in September of last year, where he defied the odds with an impressive second-round spinning elbow knockout victory.

However, following his latest loss, it’s hard to argue that meaningful improvements were made to his game. If anything, the rematch appeared to expose further shortcomings. As a result, Lopes now finds himself effectively on the outside of the title picture. There is little appetite among fans for a trilogy bout against ‘The Great,’ making another immediate title run highly unlikely.

The Brazilian will likely be hoping that Volkanovski either moves up to a higher weight class or steps away from competition altogether. This would open the door for Lopes to rebuild momentum. In the meantime, though, ‘The Great’ has revealed what he wants to do next.

Alexander Volkanovski wants the No. 1 guy

Volkanovski wants the toughest possible test for his next featherweight title defense. After beating Lopes, ‘The Great’ pointed to undefeated featherweight No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev as his ideal next opponent. “Undefeated sounds good. I mean, they are both undefeated in the UFC,” Volkanovski said when discussing Evloev and Lerone Murphy.

“I think Movsar’s 19-0, he’s got that wrestling and grappling style that’s taking over the UFC at the moment.” Evloev is expected to compete in a title eliminator against Murphy next, and Volkanovski already has a prediction.

“Who do I think is gonna win that fight? I think Movsar wins that fight.” If that happens, Volkanovski believes the path is clear. “So, if they do fight, I’ll probably end up facing him.”

Volkanovski turns 38 this year. Age did not seem to have slowed him down at UFC 325, but taking on someone like Evloev in the twilight of your career is a tall order. And therein lies Lopes’s future.

The Brazilian is now outside the title picture, looking in. His best shot at another title fight is if Volkanovski drops or vacates the title. If the champion is right, and Evloev wins the rumored title eliminator against Lerone Murphy, he might just go on to dethrone the Australian as well.

This opens the door to a rematch between Lopes and Evloev. The Russian welcomed Lopes into the promotion back in 2023 with a unanimous decision loss. But Lopes’ performance endeared him to the fans and Dana White. You can bet he’ll get first crack at Evloev if the undefeated star wins the belt.

With a recovery period now confirmed, Lopes has an opportunity to reassess his approach after a second title-shot loss, but his path back to the top of the featherweight division is now more challenging than ever. What do you think is next for the Brazilian?