After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in his MMA career, Alexander Volkanovski returned to the Octagon at UFC 314 determined to take back the featherweight throne.
Standing in his way in the main event of the evening was fast-rising 145-pound sensation Diego Lopes. Sitting on a five-fight win streak, Lopes walked into his first title opportunity with a wave of momentum and a chance to establish himself as the best featherweight fighter on the planet.
Round 1
Volkanovski lands a couple of early leg kicks and then goes high. Lopes is taking his time as Volkanovski continues to throw kicks. Lopes lands a leg kick and Volkanovski connects with a spinning back fist. Volkanovski throws a left, and Lopes fires a shot right back. Lopes is already showing some swelling under the right eye, and the two exchange strikes in close. Volkanovski lands a big right hand.
Volkanovski connects with a vicious left during a violent exchange in the center of the Octagon. Volkanovski connects with a jab, and Lopes looks a little lost after getting lit up. Volkanovski rushes in and muscles Lopes down. Lopes gets back to his feet, but nearly eats a knee in the process. Volkanovski landed some big shots against the fence, allowing him to take Lopes down and unload some ground-and-pound strikes as the clock runs out on round one.
Round 2
After a relatively inactive first minute, Volkanovski lands a one-two. Lopes lands a calf kick, and Volkanovski sticks him with a jab in return. Lopes connects with a calf kick and comes back up top with a right hand. Volkanovski closes in and attempts to wrestle, but Lopes fends it off. Volkanovski dishes a couple of calf kicks. Lopes doubles up on the jab. Volkanovski kicks to the body and catches Lopes with another big left hand that rocks him.
Volkanovski quickly clinches up against the fence, but Lopes breaks the grip and circles away. Volkanovski lands a stiff jab. As the 10-second clacker sounds, Lopes lands a booming right hand that drops Volkanovski. ‘The Great’ pops back up and finishes the round, trying to avoid taking further damage.
Round 3
Lopes appears to have regained some confidence after dropping Volkanovski in the second round and attempts to get on his front foot. Lopes lands a calf kick followed by a double jab with a right hand behind it. Volkanovski appears to be a bit more hesitant now and pumps the jab. Volkanovski clips Lopes with a left hook, but the Brazilian eats it and keeps moving forward. Volkanovski absorbs a right hand during another heavy exchange.
Volkanovski once again got the better of an exchange in the middle of the Octagon, landing a left hook. Volkanovski connects with a counter right. Lopes throws a head kick as Volkanovski closes the distance, but he misses the mark, and the fighters let time run out of the round without throwing any more strikes.
Round 4
Volkanovski goes back to attacking the lead leg and then pumps a couple of jabs. Volkanovski throws a big right hand that partially connects. Volkanovski lands another right hand during an exchange, but Lopes lands a right of his own. Lopes finally gets back to the kicking game, targeting Volkanovski’s lead leg. Volkanovski shoots in, but Lopes fends it off and continues to look for that home-run shot. Lopes nearly lands it with a left, but Volkanovski counters with a right and follows it up with a jab.
Lopes appears to connect with a right that caught Volkanovski in the eye. Volkanovski is hurt and retreating as Lopes is looking to end things. Lopes turns up the heat as Volkanovski desperately tries to circle away. It’s unclear if the shot to the eye was a punch or a poke, but the referee signaled for a replay. The fight continues uninterrupted, leading us to believe it was a legal strike.
With a minute to go, Volkanovski continues to create some distance between himself and Lopes. Volkanovski lands a nice right hand with 25 seconds to go. Lopes appears to land a left during a late flurry. The horn sounds, taking us to the fifth and final round.
Round 5
An instant replay reveals the eye injury to Volkanovski is from an uppercut. Both fighters come out swinging with Lopes landing a nice combination just past the one-minute mark of the round. Lopes lands a low kick, and Volkanovski comes right back with a nice one-two. Lopes responds with a right. During an exchange, Lopes appears to get hit in the eye and complains, but referee Marc Goddard forces him to continue fighting, calling it a legal shot.
However, the commentators tell us that the replay shows it was actually an eye poke from Volkanovski and not a punch. Still, the fight continues uninterrupted. Lopes is stalking forward as Volkanovski is content to sit back and counter. With less than a minute to go, Lopes decides to march forward with reckless abandon. Volkanovski lands a right hand towards the end of the round. Lopes attempts to respond against the fence, but the clock runs before he can connect.
Official Result: Alexander Volkanovski def. Diego Lopes via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 48-47) to win the vacant UFC featherweight world championship
Check Out Highlights From Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes at UFC 314:
Alexander Volkanovski Stuns Diego Lopez in Round 1! #UFC314 pic.twitter.com/xFbffkPpv0
— X Fights (@XKnockouts) April 13, 2025
Diego Lopes knocks down Alexander Volkanovski at the end of the 2nd round. That’s a 9-9 or 10-10 round if I’ve ever seen one. Either way, we got ourselves a fight folks. Volk still looks levels above Lopes whose power is ridiculous #UFC314 pic.twitter.com/VFdBpm3Z1O
— Jay Henry (@jayhenry79) April 13, 2025
An amazing exchange between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes, in the 4th Round. #UFC314 pic.twitter.com/9vLdHENT9P
— 001Sports (@001Sports_) April 13, 2025
How great is Alexander Volkanovski? #UFC314pic.twitter.com/Id071xo1im
— MMA On Point (@OnPointMMA) April 13, 2025
ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI DEFEATS DIEGO LOPES BY UNANIMOUS DECISION! (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
AND NEW!!!! 🇦🇺 #UFC314 pic.twitter.com/mcRtBntV3l
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 13, 2025
