Coach Joe Lopez details UFC featherweight kingpin Alex Volkanovski submitting a heavyweight in sparring

Joe Lopez has taken a trip down memory lane to tell the story of Alex Volkanovski submitting a heavyweight in sparring.

It’s been well-documented for a while now that Alex Volkanovski is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. The featherweight king has ruled over his division for a good few years now and at UFC 284, he’ll attempt to move up and conquer lightweight.

He’ll do so alongside Joe Lopez, his head coach, who has been there every step of the way in his progression.

Alex’s mixed martial arts journey began when he was still taking part in other sports. As such, nobody really knew what his ceiling was.

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Lopez told a great story that showcased just how good Volkanovski was.

“We had an open sparring session and he [Volkanovski] came to the open sparring session and I always remember, I had a heavyweight that had a couple of fights, and there was a young heavyweight from the area who, you know, had, I think 5-0 record. And, you know, was looking for, you know, he was the next best thing. And I remember I was taping the gloves up on my heavyweight, and Alex [Volkanovski] was already gloved up, and the other guy’s coach threw him into the cage… I was trying to run the cage to stop it but this spar had started.”

Volkanovski prepares for war

“I wanted to have the experienced guys to have a go first before I put Alex in. Because it was his [Volkanovski] first spar, you know. And next minute Alex [Volkanovski] has submitted this guy.”

Quotes via Sportskeeda

Do you think Alex Volkanovski has a chance to beat Islam Makhachev at UFC 284? What is your official prediction? Let us know in the comments, BJPENN Nation!