Alexander Volkanovski reclaimed his featherweight throne on Saturday, outpointing Diego Lopes in a thrilling main event at UFC 314.
After Ilia Topuria relinquished the belt in February, a year after dethroning Volkanovski, a new champion was needed – and so a title fight was booked between “Alexander The Great” and Lopes.
With Volkanovski having suffered knockout losses in his last two outings, against Topuria and in a lightweight-title clash with Islam Makhachev, some fans feared for the 36-year-old here. Especially as in the opposite corner was a younger, hungry contender in Lopes, who was challenging for UFC gold for the first time.
And the Mexican-Brazilian, 30, showed his danger in round two with a late knockdown of Volkanovski, courtesy of a clean one-two. It was a tense moment that threatened to derail Volkanovski’s masterful first-round work – and even his own success in round two, given he sent Lopes staggering badly against the fence.
But the former champion recovered well, not only surviving the knockdown in the immediate moment but winning the third round with smart range management, tidy boxing, and investment in leg kicks.
To Lopes’s credit, he forged some momentum in round four, hurting the already cut Volkanovski with an uppercut and stalking the increasingly sloppy Australian around the cage. Yet Volkanovski finished strong and refused to get suckered into a brawl in the closing minutes, ultimately securing scorecards of 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46.
With that, he kickstarted his second reign, having first held the title from December 2019 until February 2024 – a spell in which he recorded five successful defences.
“Oh, man, it’s good to be back,” Volkanovski told Joe Rogan in the cage, after the fight. “I’ve never felt the love so much.
“I was saying all week, I even said it to the camera before I walked out: I promised my girls I’ll bring the belt back to them, but then I thought it doesn’t matter about bringing the belt back.
“A lot of people counted me out [...] To come back and beat a gun like Diego Lopes... It’s good to be back. To everyone watching: hey, adversity is a privilege, it truly is. This moment is incredible. I love you all, I really appreciate you.
“[Adversity] is an opportunity. You get adversity, if you build yourself back, it’s only gonna make you stronger, even if it doesn’t work out. This is the s*** people are gonna write books about.”
Lopes said via a translator: “Listen, it was an honour to share the Octagon with a legend like Alexander Volkanovski, but I’ll be back.
“This is a man who’s so experienced in the UFC, what a career he’s had. Tonight, maybe I came up short, but I can see myself coming back. I’ll get better [...] I’m gonna become a champion.”
Lopes entered Miami’s Kaseya Center on a five-fight win streak, having picked up three victories in 2024. Meanwhile, Volkanovski was 1-3 in his last four outings, having twice failed to dethrone lightweight king Makhachev before losing to Topuria.
Topuria’s plan, after he vacated the 145lb belt, is to move up to 155lb and challenge Makhachev. However, it is possible that the champion could defend the strap against a different challenger first.
