Which signals a shift in career focus after some degree of success has been attained-weighs little to no opportunity for further success at featherweight.
UFC's CEO Dana White confirmed the title bout at UFC 314 between former champion Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes on April 12 at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Ilia Topuria, who had recently been crowned the featherweight champion and defended it against Max Holloway, vacated the title right before the bout between Volkanovski and Lopes.
Dana White says, Topuria feels he has made his name known in the all-important featherweight division but has found himself unable to cut the necessary weight at this level. His next outing is expected to materialize in the lightweight class, yet the opponent has yet to be announced.
In the main event of UFC 314, Alexander Volkanovski (MMA record: 26-4) looking to bounce back after being dethroned from featherweight title by Topuria in February 2024, enjoying a dominant reign prior to coughing up that belt with five title defense
Since that loss, he has not fought again and now seeks to rebound against Diego Lopes (MMA record: 26-6), who enters the title match with a five-fight winning streak. Lopes' most recent victory was a unanimous decision victory over Brian Ortega at UFC 306.
UFC 314 features a stacked card, including Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett, Patricio "Pitbull" Freire's UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez, and bouts between Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates and Nikita Krylov vs. Dominick Reyes.