Alexander Volkanovski isn’t done being a world champion just yet.
Following in the footsteps of fellow 145-pound future Hall of Famer Jose Aldo, Volkanovski became the second-ever fighter to regain the UFC Featherweight Championship this weekend.
Volkanovski’s impressive re-emergence in the featherweight title picture, just over a year after his historic first reign came to a sudden end, took place in the main event of UFC 314 on Saturday night. He outworked Diego Lopes in a five-round striking battle to claim the vacant featherweight title via unanimous decision, closing out a pay-per-view card from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, USA on Saturday night.
Volkanovski won as many as four rounds on a pair of official scorecards, a significant lead he developed due to an impressive volume-punching style on the feet against Lopes.
The now two-time champ had a higher output of shots than Lopes in all five rounds of the fight, proving to have impressive accuracy with his punches no matter where the fight went. Volkanovski had effective striking even when on his backfoot against an advancing Lopes.
After five rounds of action, Volkanovski had more than doubled the amount of shots that Lopes landed. While the Australian fighter had some big moments in the fight with his boxing, the outstanding chin of Lopes prevented him from ever getting dropped by a shot. Lopes was noticeably knocked back after consuming a blow many times in the fight, but he never was actually brought down to the canvas after eating a shot.
Volkanovski’s win on Saturday will be looked back upon as a stellar return to form, although not without some significant moments of adversity. Volkanovski suffered the sole knockdown of the fight in the second round, getting caught with a right hook in the round’s final moments. Two frames later, a shot that landed flush on the left eye of Volkanovski caused visible discomfort, making him retreat while trying to regain his senses.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing for Volkanovski in the fight. However, as a whole, he put together a performance that showed he is still championship calibre at 36 years old.
“It’s good to be back,” Volkanovski said during his post-fight interview. “I’ve never felt the love so much … For everyone watching, adversity is a privilege. People talk about that. It truly is. This moment is incredible.”
Volkanovski was returning after back-to-back losses, the sole appearances in his UFC career that have seen him get stopped. After losing a fight up at lightweight to incumbent champ Islam Makhachev, Volkanovski had his multi-year reign at featherweight stopped in early 2024 against Ilia Topuria.
It was unclear following the losses whether Volkanovski would ever re-emerge as a top name in the division. But after Topuria vacated his featherweight title earlier this year to pursue a career at lightweight, Volkanovski was given the chance to face Lopes for the vacant belt.
Saturday was Lopes’ first-ever UFC title fight. His ascent to a championship booking was quick, stepping into this weekend’s bout a little less than two years after his debut for the promotion.
Lopes got eyes on him in 2023 and early 2024 by piecing together a trio of wins, each ending within two minutes. He later kept his streak going last year with wins over long-time contender Dan Ige and past title challenger Brian Ortega.
After tasting defeat, Lopes remained hopeful about his future.
“It was an honor to share the octagon with a guy like Alexander Volkanovski, but I’ll be back,” he said.
Main Card (10:00PM EDT) (PPV)
Bout 13: Alexander Volkanovski def. Diego Lopes via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant UFC Featherweight Championship)
Bout 12: Paddy Pimblett def. Michael Chandler via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:07)
Bout 11: Yair Rodriguez def. Patricio Pitbull via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Jean Silva def. Bryce Mitchell via Submission, Ninja Choke (RD 2, 3:52)
Bout 9: Dominick Reyes def. Nikita Krylov via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:24)
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EDT) (ESPN/ESPN+)
Bout 8: Dan Ige def. Sean Woodson via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:12)
Bout 7: Virna Jandiroba def. Yan Xiaonan via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Chase Hooper def. Jim Miller via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Julian Erosa def. Darren Elkins via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:15)
Early Prelims (6:00PM EDT) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 4: Michael Oleksiejczuk def. Sedriques Dumas via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:49)
Bout 3: Sumudaerji def. Mitch Raposo via Decision, Split
Bout 2: Marco Tulio def. Tresean Gore via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:16)
Bout 1: Nora Cornolle def. Hailey Cowan via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 1:52)
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