UFC President Dana White has confirmed that Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes will headline UFC 314 on April 12 in Miami.
Volkanovski vs Lopes has been confirmed for the UFC Featherweight Title, with Ilia Topuria officially vacating his 145-pound belt.
Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes Confirmed For UFC 314 Main Event
UFC President Dana White has confirmed that Alexander Volkanovski will take on Diego Lopes in the UFC 314 main event for the vacant UFC Featherweight Title in Miami, Florida.
UFC 314 goes down on April 12 in Miami, with the full UFC 314 card announced. It is an incredible pay-per-view event, with Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett to co-main event to Volkanovski vs Lopes at the top of the bill.
With Alexander Volkanovski’s next fight being for the UFC Featherweight Title, this of course means that Ilia Topuria has officially vacated his 145-pound strap.
Topuria dethroned Volkanovski back at UFC 298 to become the featherweight king, before then making a successful defence of his belt against Max Holloway at UFC 308. Topuria won both fights via emphatic knockout, but has now confirmed that he will be moving up in weight.
This means that Volkanovski vs Lopes, which had been in the works for some time, has now been officially confirmed as the UFC 314 main event with the vacant UFC Featherweight Title on the line.
The Australian will be looking to get back to winning ways following back-to-back defeats to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria. For Diego Lopes, he will be confident of winning the 145-pound belt at the first time of asking in his maiden shot at UFC gold.
The best UFC betting sites have listed ‘The Great’ as a marginal favourite over Lopes, but only just. Lopes is in the form of his life and will be supremely confident of handing Volkanovski a third straight UFC defeat.
TOPURIA VACATS‼️
ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI VS DIEGO LOPES SET FOR #UFC314 FOR THE BELT 🏆
April 12th, MIAMI📍VIA DANA WHITE pic.twitter.com/pMa6gfoO4a
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) February 20, 2025
Will Alexander Volkanovski Become A Two-Time UFC Featherweight Champion?
With Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes being confirmed as the UFC 314 main event for the UFC Featherweight Title, this means that ‘The Great’ has the chance to become a two-time UFC featherweight champion.
Volkanovski first won the 145-pound title back in December 2019, beating Max Holloway via decision at UFC 245. He then made four successful defences of his belt before then fighting for the lightweight title against Islam Makhachev.
After falling short up at 155-pound, the Aussie returned to featherweight where he made one more defence of his UFC Featherweight Title against Yair Rodriguez. That was in July 2023, which was the last fight that Alexander Volkanovski won.
He has lost two fights since against Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, but has the chance to become a two-time UFC champion against Diego Lopes in the UFC 314 main event. That being said, The Brazilian MMA star is confident of fulfilling his dream of becoming UFC champion.
I have worked like no one else in recent years, I have accepted challenges and dares that the UFC has put in front of me, I have said yes in every situation, even when it was not favorable for me. In less than 2 years within the UFC I will have my opportunity for the title. I…
— Diego Lopes 🇧🇷🇲🇽 (@Diegolopesmma) February 20, 2025
The best online betting apps have listed the former champion as a slight favourite going into this bout, but Diego Lopes will have plenty of backers. He is riding a five fight win streak against some of the top contenders at 145-pounds.
The 30-year-old really is a live dog in this fight and fully deserves his opportunity at winning the UFC Featherweight Title. What a main event we have on our hands from Miami, Florida on April 12 as UFC 314 rolls into town! Do not miss it!
Be sure to claim the various UFC betting offers and free bet deals available on the SportsCasting site ahead of UFC 314.
