UFC 314 headliner Diego Lopes sends message to critics of his cardio ahead of Alexander Volkanovski fight

Diego Lopes has some words for those who believe his cardio is in question.

Lopes has been booked in the biggest fight of his pro MMA career. He will take on Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant UFC Featherweight Championship. The title fight is scheduled to headline UFC 314 in Miami.

Ahead of fight night, some are wondering if Lopes has the cardio to last at the top of the 145-pound heap.

RELATED: ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI HOPES TO PROVE HE CAN BEAT ‘NEW SCHOOL’ DIEGO LOPES AT UFC 314

Diego Lopes Scoffs at Cardio Critics

Speaking to Danny Segura for MMAJunkie.com‘s “Hablemos MMA,” Diego Lopes responded to those who saw his fight with Dan Ige as a sign that his cardio may not be up to snuff.

“I think (Volkanovski) might go in there and look to do a mix of his game because a lot of people are still complaining that I might not have cardio for five rounds,” Lopes told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “People are still hanging on to what happened in the fight against Dan Ige, that I slowed down. But that’s OK. People have mouths, and they’ll say whatever they want. I’m ready for Volkanovski’s best version, and I’m ready to show my best version.”

Some believe that Movsar Evloev would’ve been the right choice for a crack at the vacant featherweight gold. Others believe that Lopes brings more excitement to the title fight. Regardless, Alexander Volkanovski is hoping to become a two-time UFC featherweight titleholder and go on to put his gold at stake against Evloev.

Lopes doesn’t believe he’s been getting enough credit for his performance against Brian Ortega, which ultimately sealed a title opportunity.

“Why does nobody mention the knockdowns I did to Brian Ortega in the third round and how I was doing in that third round? I won all three rounds and I dominated that fight. Why do people don’t mention that? Why don’t they mention that a judge gave me a 30-26?