After 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 the Brazilian’s legs after his rematch loss to ‘The Great.’ Confirmation for the same came immediately afterward. 

The No. 2-ranked featherweight was taken to a hospital, and his manager, Jason House of Iridium Sports Agency, revealed he had broken both of his feet. “Looks like we broke both feet,” Lopes wrote on an Instagram Story. “Some nights you’re at the after party, some nights you’re at the ER.” Now, the Brazilian has shared a medical update. 

Diego Lopes reveals the extent of his 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.” Most simple fractures typically heal significantly within 6–12 weeks, a period during which the bone forms a solid callus and can gradually begin to bear weight or function with reduced pain.

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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—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 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—opening the door for Lopes to rebuild momentum and begin another climb toward championship gold. 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 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.”

It appears Diego Lopes gave fans an injury scare for a bit, but ultimately the injury didn’t turn out to be as severe as previously thought. Anyway, he will have plenty of time to recover, as he plots what he wants to do after being booted out of the title picture. What do you think is next for the Brazilian?