Alexander Volkanovski is plotting a course back to UFC gold.
The Australian former featherweight champion will seek to regain the 145-pounds title he lost to Ilia Topuria a little more than a year ago when he fights Diego Lopes in the UFC 314 main event in Miami, Florida on April 12 for the title which now lies vacant following Topuria’s move to the lightweight division.
For the Australian, the stakes have rarely been higher throughout his career. After a 22-fight win streak was snapped in his first unsuccessful bid to claim the 155-pound title from Islam Makhachev back in February 2023, Volkanovski finds himself in the unusual position of having lost three of his past four following a defeat to Makhachev in the rematch as well as the aforementioned defeat to Topuria (a TKO win over Yair Rodrigues is his sole win in the UFC cage dating back to July 2022).
Of course, much was made ahead of his loss to Topuria about how the lighter weight divisions are dominated by fighters under the age of 35. At 36, Volkanovski is a full six years older than his Brazilian opponent.
But all things considered, there has rarely been a more effective fighter at featherweight in recent years than Volkanovski — as evidenced by his trio of wins over another divisional stalwart in Max Holloway — the third of which you can watch in full below.
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