The king of the UFC’s featherweight division has officially returned.
Former long-time champion Alexander Volkanovski reclaimed the vacant 145-pound belt on Saturday by defeating No. 3-ranked Diego Lopes via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) in the main event of UFC 314 from Miami.
“The Great” Volkanovski first earned the featherweight title with a victory over Max Holloway in 2019 and held the belt for the better part of half a decade — a reign that included four consecutive title defences and a unification bout win shortly after.
He later lost the belt to Ilia Topuria, who knocked out the 36-year-old Aussie at UFC 298 in Feb. 2024. The loss marked Volkanovski’s second-consecutive defeat after he had previously fallen to lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, albeit on 10 days’ notice, at UFC 294 in 2023. It was Volkanovski’s second failed attempt at moving up to 155 pounds in an effort to dethrone the Dagestani belt-holder.
Topuria then vacated the featherweight belt in February as the Spaniard opted to move up and take his crack at knocking off Makhachev — opening the door for the former champ to reclaim the throne in a matchup against Lopes on Saturday.
Volkanovski’s win — now 14-3 in the UFC — at the Kaseya Center not only put an end to his skid but also returned him to his rightful place atop the 145-division. The victory marked his seventh title-fight victory, the second-most behind Hall of Famer Jose Aldo’s eight in feathweight division history. Volkanovski also became the first fighter to win a championship bout over the age of 35 in any men’s division at lightweight and below.
Lopes, meanwhile, saw his five-fight win streak come to an end with the loss.
Volkanovski had taken more than a year off after losing the belt to Topuria in hopes of returning to the octagon refreshed and motivated for another lengthy title run. It’s safe to say his second reign is off to a good start.