'The Great' has already secured its status as one of the best featherweights of all time, but he will now take the newest star of the division.
After having been at the top for more than four years, the former 145 pound champion is now a competition after the reign of Alexander Volkanovski was terminated by Ilia Topuria.
A rematch between them was a big talk point in 2024, especially after Volkanovski had taken the fight in less than ideal conditions.
However, this is no longer the case after the news that Topuria has left the title to go to lightweight, so that Volkanovski can fight for the Interim Riem.
He will now be confronted with Diego Lopes in the main event of UFC 314, while the Aussie wants to grab the throne for the second time by stopping the momentum of a breakout.
The coach of Alexander Volkanovski compares the threat of Diego Lopes with Brian Ortega
Alexander Volkanovski and his team have prepared for some of the greatest fights and challenges that are possible.
In the first place 'The Great' made such a strong champion, his well -rounded skills and the ability to adapt to various opponents.
Despite his excellent skills, in his title defense against Brian Ortega on UFC 266, it was the resilience of the champion that received the most praise.
Volkanovski dominated the fight, but had to fight for a number of incredibly difficult moments when his opponent could produce a number of serious submission attempts in an instant.
With Diego Lopes is also an incredibly dangerous fighting finisher when the fight hit the floor, the head coach Joe Lopez of Volkanovski referred to this in a recent interview with Submission Radio when he was asked where Lopes is the biggest threat.
“Well, look at the floor, he looks a lot like Brian. He is very instinctive, so he just throws things naturally and of course knows where he wants to be and where he doesn't want to be and that makes him dangerous because he is a bit unpredictable as he just jumps on things. That Movsar (Evloev) Vecht, the transitions from Armbar to Triangle and back, very technical things. ”
Alexander Volkanovski will not be afraid not to test Diego Lopes anywhere
Alexander Volkanovski has always been sure to compete with every hunter on every reach and his victory over Brian Ortega was a good example of that.
He knew the threat that 'T-City' could present his back and even after he had come through a number of heavy situations, he continued to put Ortega on the canvas and rule the ground and pounds.
In 26 Pro fights, Diego Lopes achieved 12 entry victories, but only one of them came to the UFC when he caught Gavin Tucker in a spectacular triangle.
The grasping fairs between these two men are certainly fascinating with the creative style of Lopes that comes up against the machine-like focus of Volkanovski.
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