Former UFC featherweight champion, Alex Volkanovski, will have an opportunity to reclaim the 145-pound crown when he collides with No. 3-ranked contender, Diego Lopes, atop the UFC 314 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Sat., April 12, 2025 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
“I’m feeling great, and I’m only going to get better from here, so that’s a scary thing — especially for Lopes,” Volkanovski (26-4) said on his YouTube channel. “I think Lopes is in for a very, very hard fight. He’s a gamer. He’s a great dude. I’ve got a lot of respect for him, very nice fella. I’m sure he’s expecting to go out there and win the belt, but I’m sorry, mate. That ain’t happening. Good on you for being in this position. (I’m) happy you’re getting the opportunity to fight for the belt, but I’m still here. You ain’t having it. Sorry, mate.”
Current featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria, is vacating the title to try his luck at lightweight, presumably against Islam Makhachev at UFC 317 during International Fight Week in Las Vegas, though nothing is official at this time (more on that here).
“I’m really looking forward to this one, very excited, excited to show everyone,” Volkanovski continued. “Obviously, people are like, ‘Oh, he’s old – he’s done.’ I hope people are thinking that. Everyone knows I love the underdog story. Everyone knows I love to prove people wrong. I still think a lot of people believe in me, and I’m going to go out there and look great, anyway. But, for those who don’t, you have every right to think that until I change your opinion, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do April 12.”
Volkanovski, 36, has not competed since losing his title to Topuria at UFC 298 back in early 2024, which came less than four months after a knockout loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. As for Lopes, 30, he improved to 26-6 by outlasting Brian Ortega as part of the UFC 306 fight card last fall in Las Vegas, his fifth straight win.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 314 in Miami click here.
