Diego Lopes says he is at peace following UFC 314 defeat to Alexander Volkanovski

UFC featherweight contender Diego Lopes has said that he’s at peace in the wake of his defeat to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314.

At UFC 314, Diego Lopes put forward a valiant effort in his clash with Alexander Volkanovski. The two fought for the UFC featherweight championship and while Volkanovski was the man who had his hand raised, Lopes caused ‘The Great’ a few problems throughout the course of the contest.

Alas, it wasn’t enough, and Diego Lopes will now head back to the drawing board in an attempt to figure out what exactly went wrong. Given his talent, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him back in the title picture sooner rather than later.

In a recent interview, Diego Lopes opened up on his emotions after fight night.

Diego Lopes reflects on defeat

“I’m one of the most relaxed guys you’ll ever meet, one of the guys with the strongest mindset, but I’m obviously not going to lie to you: I was very sad,” Lopes said. “You saw how I was crying in that video. Imagine working so hard for that moment and not reaching the objective. I was obviously sad but also at peace.”

“Sometimes you can do everything perfect, and it’s still not enough, and that’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t enough. So that moment that you saw me crying was because of that. I did everything well, but it wasn’t enough for me to get the belt. I vented, and I cried, but soon after that I was already smiling and laughing. I’m happy with everything I’ve achieved.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Diego Lopes is a superstar in the making. Sure, he didn’t get the gold, but he’s a few adjustments away from becoming champion – and it’ll be fascinating to see where his development takes him from here.