Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes Preview & Picks
Alexander Volkanovski is tipped to regain the featherweight title at UFC 314.
Diego Lopes’ all-or-nothing approach plays into the hands of a fighter like Volkanovski.
The former champion is backed to showcase his all-round skill-set to grind out a decision victory.
- Alexander Volkanovski is 6-1 in UFC featherweight title fights
- 5 of Alexander Volkanovski’s last 7 wins have been via decision
- Diego Lopes lost his last fight for a professional MMA title
- 4 of Diego Lopes’ 6 career defeats have been on points
Alexander Volkanovski Form
Alexander Volkanovski is a former UFC featherweight champion with a professional record of 26-4 (13 KOs, 3 Subs).
Volkanovski debuted in the UFC in November 2016 and quickly climbed up the ladder with 12 consecutive victories.
A TKO victory over Chad Mendes in December 2018 and a decision success against Jose Aldo in May 2019 earned him his first UFC title fight, and he took his big shot.
The 36-year-old Australian beat Max Holloway via unanimous decision to claim the featherweight crown, and then beat ‘Blessed’ by split decision to retain the title.
He then bested Brian Ortega over five rounds, before knocking out ‘The Korean Zombie’ in the fourth round to set up a trilogy fight with Holloway.
Volkanovski again got the better of the Hawaiian ace, beating him on points to settle the rivalry.
He moved up to lightweight after that fight but failed in his bid to become a two-weight world champion, dropping a decision to Islam Makhachev.
‘The Great’ made a return to winning ways in his next outing, knocking out Yair Rodriguez in the third round to retain his featherweight crown, but failed to follow that up as another bid to become lightweight champion ended in failure.
This time Volkanovski was knocked out in the first round by Makhachev, and in his next fight he surrendered the featherweight belt as he was KO’d in the second by Ilia Topuria.
Diego Lopes Form
Diego Lopes is the #3 ranked featherweight contender with a career record of 26-6 (10 KOs, 12 Subs).
Lopes arrived in the UFC in May 2023 and got off to a disappointing start as he dropped a decision to Movsar Evloev in his debut.
The 30-year-old Brazilian has rebounded in emphatic fashion though, reeling off five consecutive wins to surge into title contention.
He rebounded from that loss with a first-round submission win over Gavin Tucker, and he backed that up by knocking out Pat Sabatini in 90 seconds.
Lopes then made it three straight first-round stoppage wins as he took out Sodiq Yusuff with strikes in 89 seconds.
He has not stopped an opponent since that April 2024 outing, but he has taken his streak to five fights with back-to-back decision wins, beating Dan Ige and Brian Ortega last year.