Diego Lopes is well-known for his world-class grappling and highly effective placing, however he’s including extra weapons to his arsenal after searching for out assist along with his wrestling from an Olympic gold medalist and his crew of athletes.
Previous to UFC 314, the place Lopes faces Alexander Volkanovski with the vacant featherweight title up for grabs, the 30-year-old fighter traveled right down to Stillwater, Okla. to work with the Oklahoma State College wrestling crew led by David Taylor. After successful the 2020 Olympic gold medal, Taylor truly contemplated a transfer into MMA himself however in the end determined teaching was the very best match for him and he was completely satisfied to welcome Lopes to the wrestling room.
“He got here down and I’ve recognized Diego simply from the start of his journey truly,” Taylor informed MMA Combating. “I’ve at all times been a giant fan and adopted him to get to his superstardom. He wished to return down and do some totally different coaching and assist him out.”
Lopes wasn’t essentially on the lookout for specialised coaching targeted solely on him. He jumped into the deep finish with the Oklahoma State wrestling crew, which only in the near past topped two NCAA Nationwide Champions, together with heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson after his gorgeous upset of one other Olympic gold medalist, Gable Steveson.
Hendrickson was impressed with Lopes. Regardless of Lopes not coming from a wrestling background, the UFC 314 headliner confirmed unimaginable promise and instantly developed new expertise working with the athletes from Oklahoma State.
“It was superior having him right here. He simply embraced it,” Hendrickson informed MMA Combating about Lopes coaching there. “The wrestling surroundings similar to MMA, it’s thrilling. Like I stated, totally different views and having him in right here wrestle with among the greatest wrestlers within the nation, if not one of the best wrestlers within the nation, it’s going to do nothing however assist put together for these fights.
“It takes a number of totally different [disciplines]. You may’t simply be a extremely good boxer and anticipate to do good at MMA. You may’t simply be a extremely good wrestler. So I believe creating each single facet of the sport is vital.”
The time spent at Oklahoma State made an enduring impression on Lopes, who brazenly rooted for the crew throughout the latest NCAA event, which was Taylor’s first as a coach.
Taylor says the connection and bond he fashioned with Lopes was so sturdy that members of his crew continued to assist the featherweight title contender put together for his upcoming battle in opposition to Volkanovski on Saturday.
“Truly now we’re serving to in his coaching camp,” Taylor revealed. “We’ve had folks serving to him by means of this coaching camp and serving to him prepare for this title battle in opposition to Volkanovski. Excited for Diego. I believe it’s fairly cool. He’s a striker, he’s a submission artist and now he has one other wrinkle to his sport. It simply exhibits these guys are aggressive and so they wish to win and pretty much as good as he’s, he’s nonetheless trying to evolve.”
Whereas Lopes is not any stranger to utilizing his grappling to win fights, Taylor believes mixing in much more high-level wrestling can solely assist him in these essential moments when he’s making an attempt to manage a spherical or just break his opposition with dominance on the bottom.
“I believe when you may grapple, you may management an entire spherical,” Taylor stated. “Have that management ingredient or if you happen to get taken down, you know the way to rise up. Clearly what makes Diego distinctive is he’s as harmful from his again. His submissions are unimaginable. He’s acquired nice knockout energy. He’s acquired good cardio. Additionally when you may go and wrestle somebody for 25 minutes in coaching, that helps along with your conditioning, your psychological state.
“So I believe he’s excited to compete. It’s an amazing alternative for him and we’re excited to assist him just a little bit. But it surely’s going to be a very good take a look at for him for positive.”
As a result of he’s a outstanding UFC fighter, Lopes was undoubtedly acknowledged when he confirmed up on the Oklahoma State wrestling room, however Hendrickson says he jumped proper within the deep finish and didn’t need any particular remedy simply because he was technically a newcomer by their requirements.
“He’s competing with a few of our wrestlers and he [doesn’t even have] a wrestling background,” Hendrickson stated. “It’s thrilling to see the expansion that he’s going to proceed to make and right here at Oklahoma State if you wish to be a champion, that is the place you come.”
Lopes has his common coaches getting ready to nook him on Saturday when he battles Volkanovski in the principle occasion however ,Taylor received’t be too distant as a result of he plans on attending UFC 314 to point out his help in hopes that the newest part-time member to his crew turns into champion.
“The plan is to go and watch him and help him,” Taylor stated.
