UFC 325 · February 1, 2026 · Sydney
Diego Lopes — Both Feet Fractured at UFC 325
Diego Lopes lost the featherweight title rematch to Alexander Volkanovski via decision at UFC 325 in Sydney on February 1, 2026. After the fight, Lopes was transported to an Australian hospital for precautionary CT scans of his head and face. The initial concern was that both feet were broken — and scans confirmed it: fractures in both feet. No surgery was required. He spent several weeks in walking boots on crutches before beginning a graduated return to training.
What happened and what the scans showed
Lopes challenged Volkanovski for the featherweight title he had previously won from him, in a five-round rematch in Sydney. He went the distance but lost on the judges' scorecards. The fight was competitive and high-output — both fighters threw at elite featherweight volume over five rounds, absorbing significant structural loading through the feet from kicking mechanics, footwork, and cage movement.
Post-fight, Lopes was taken to an Australian hospital for a precautionary CT scan of his head and face — standard protocol following a five-round decision. The imaging also assessed his feet, where the initial concern was bilateral fractures. Scans confirmed fractures in both feet. No surgical fixation was required; the fracture patterns in both feet were stable enough to be managed conservatively with offloading. Lopes was placed in walking boots and used crutches for several weeks.
Bilateral foot fractures sustained while completing a five-round championship fight illustrate how thoroughly adrenaline and competitive drive can suppress the pain signal from acute fractures. The fractures likely occurred and accumulated across multiple rounds rather than from a single event — the classic cumulative loading pattern seen in fighters with high barefoot kick volume in the later rounds of long fights.
Why the foot is vulnerable in MMA
MMA fighters compete barefoot on canvas — unlike boxers, who have padded footwear, or karateka, who avoid the mat with foot guards. This means every kick delivered and every footwork movement is absorbed directly through the metatarsals, tarsals, and ankle joints without external cushioning. The second and fifth metatarsals are particularly vulnerable: the second because of its rigid position in the Lisfranc joint complex and its high load-sharing role during push-off; the fifth because of the pull of the peroneus brevis tendon at its base during inversion-related movements.
High kick volume — particularly body and low kicks that require the dorsum or ball of the foot to contact a hard surface — accumulates tibial and metatarsal stress. At elite fight camps, training loads in the weeks before a camp's final phase often exceed what bone remodelling can keep pace with. Some metatarsal fractures in elite fighters represent acute completion of an existing stress fracture that had been developing during camp rather than a pure fight-night injury.
Recovery from fight-related foot fractures
Management depends on which metatarsal is fractured and the fracture pattern. Most metatarsal shaft fractures in athletes heal with appropriate offloading — a walking boot or cast — over 4–8 weeks. The Jones fracture zone (5th metatarsal metaphyseal- diaphyseal junction) is the exception: its poor blood supply and high non-union rate mean elite athletes are typically offered surgical fixation to accelerate return to sport and reduce the risk of re-fracture under competition loads.
For Lopes, the conservative management path — boots and crutches initially, progressive weight-bearing as the fractures heal — means a return to training in the 6–10 week range for bilateral stable fractures with no surgical fixation. Return to full kicking volume and sparring depends on clinical clearance and symmetric single-leg hop performance. The bilateral nature of the injury means both feet must be cleared before camp resumes, which can extend the return timeline compared to a unilateral fracture. He was targeting a return to competition in the second half of 2026.
Full Rehab Guide
Metatarsal Fractures in Athletes
Full clinical guide to metatarsal fractures — the difference between Jones fractures and other metatarsal breaks, when surgery is needed, and the return-to-sport timeline.