A UFC featherweight title fight is headed to Miami – but Ilia Topuria is not included.
In the UFC 314 main event, Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will compete for the vacant featherweight title, the promotion announced Wednesday. The event takes place April 12 at Kaseya Center in Miami.
The current titleholder Topuria will vacate his title upon the first punch and move up to lightweight later this year against an opponent to be announced.
“Topuria has felt like he’s done all he can in that division, and he feels like he’s cemented his legacy, and his body cannot make the weight anymore,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “So Topuria will be moving up to 155 pounds and will be vacating the featherweight title. … As soon as the first punch is thrown in (Volkanovski vs. Lopes), the title is vacated. We will announce what Topuria’s next fight will be when we get it done.”
Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) aims to bounce back from consecutive knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Topuria, respectively. He has not competed since the Topuria loss in Febuary 2024, during which he was dethroned as the long-reigning featherweight champion. His title defense streak was halted at five.
Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has risen from relative unknown to title challenger in less than two years with the organization. Since a loss to Movsar Evloev in his short notice debut, Lopes has won five fights in a row. He most recently competed in September when he defeated Brian Ortega by unanimous decision.
With the additions, the UFC 314 lineup includes:
- Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes – for vacant featherweight title
- Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett
- Patricio Freire vs. Yair Rodriguez
- Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates
- Nikita Krylov vs. Dominick Reyes
- Dan Ige vs. Sean Woodson
- Virna Jandiroba vs. Yan Xiaonan
- Chase Hooper vs. Jim Miller
- Alberto Montes vs. Roberto Romero
- Su Mudaerji vs. Mitch Raposo
- Darren Elkins vs. Julian Erosa
- Sedriques Dumas vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.
