Former Featherweight Championship Reclaims the Title
UFC returns to Miami for UFC 314, Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes. The main event is a matchup for the undisputed Featherweight Championship. Ilia Topuria will vacate the title as soon as the first round begins. Volkanovski will be looking to regain his title and prove to the world that he is still one of the best fighters in the world. Lopes has come into the UFC guns blazing, staking up win after win, putting himself in a great position to put an end to Volkanovski’s run at featherweight. Will the man from down under show why he once dominated this division, or will the young upstart show that he is truly the real deal?
The first round opened up with both fighters curling away from each other's power side. Volk started off throwing inside leg kicks and trying to use that to throw a head kick. Lopes is a lot more patient than usual, throwing feints. Good body shots land for Lopes as Volk tries to engage. The former champ landed a nice combination when Lopes tried to advance. Volk stunned Lopes with a nasty counter left that wobbled him backward. Volk tries for a takedown, but Lopes' takedown defense stayed tall for a while, but he ended up being taken down, and Volk went to town on the ground and pound. It was a huge round one for the former featherweight champion. To start round two, Lopes is trying to put Volk on the back foot. We are seeing vintage Volk with his ability to counter and slip out of the way of almost everything. Volk rocketed Lopes again with a straight right that backed him into the cage. Lopes drops Volk with a straight right that could have potentially won him the roundback. Round three starts with both fighters exchanging jabs and low kicks. Both fighters were trading shots in the pocket. Volk landed more, and his output so far has been much greater going into the fourth round.
Starting the championship rounds, these scorecards could be all over the place. Volk is mixing up his movements well and staying away from Lope's power. Volk is fighting well on the back foot as Lopes isn’t throwing much in his direction. A left jab landed, and a massive right uppercut landed for Lopes that bothered Volk. Volk was able to stay in there and respond well. The bigger reactions are coming from Volk as he said on the stool that he is starting to get his eyesight back. We will see what happens in the fifth and final round. Both fighters are throwing, trying to land something big in a fight that could be two to two. Volk has used his footwork and his jab to keep Lopes at his range. Both fighters end the fight swinging to the buzzer. We go to the scorecards for the decision. Alexander Volkanovski wins the Featherweight Championship by unanimous decision.
This was a great fight between two of the best fighters in the featherweight division. Volk showed why he is still one of the best in the world and the heart of a champion after being dropped a few times in this fight. Lopes showcased his power and his incredible chin, and his durability in this fight. Apparently, with Yair Rodriguez winning early in the night, he was guaranteed a shot once again at the Featherweight Championship. That first fight was not relatively close, so we will see if they still go through with it. As for Lopes, there are a lot of hungry contenders who would love a shot at him to try and put their name at the top of the division. If he can get back to his aggressive nature, I feel like he will once again be a problem and find his way back to a title shot.
