Alexander Volkanovski went to war with Diego Lopes and walked away a two-time featherweight champion.
Despite being over 35 years old, coming off back-to-back losses, and having Drake drop a big bet on him, ‘The Great’ lived up to his moniker at UFC 314. He overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to score a brilliant unanimous decision victory over Lopes to reclaim the featherweight crown he’d lost just over a year ago.
Of course, the win didn’t come easily.
Looking back on the slugfest via his YouTube channel, Volkanovski revealed what he believed to be the most dangerous aspect of Lopes’ skill set.
“Going in, we knew Diego would be tough,” Volkanovski said. “Probably tougher than we thought. He took some big shots, but he was even tougher than we expected. Even when you land on him, you know things are going to come back. He’s always dangerous, always firing back, not just one shot but with combos.
“Guys like that, it’s hard not to get hit unless you just don’t engage at all. But you have to try and do as much damage as you can, while not taking as much yourself.”
Alexander Volkanovski aiming for quick return to the octagon
What comes next for Volkanovski remains to be seen, but according to the man himself, he’d like to fight as early as July, and if all goes according to plan, he’ll squeeze in two more scraps before the end of 2025.
“I guess fighting-wise, I obviously wanted to get back in there,” Volkanovski told TMZ Sports. “I mentioned about being very active, I still want to be active. Just got to get a few things looked at, obviously a few bumps and bruises, see how that goes, talk to the UFC, and we’ll make it happen.
“I’m definitely fighting again this year, but the question is, am I doing two more?”
