Diego Lopes is set to face Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314, following Ilia Topuria‘s decision to vacate the belt and move to lightweight, as per UFC’s policy that champions must relinquish their titles to compete in a different weight class.
Diego Lopes was eyeing a showdown with Ilia Topuria, but he gets it if the soon-to-be ex-featherweight champ wants to chase new horizons. Dana White recently spilled the beans that Topuria’s ditching his 145-pound title for a shot at lightweight glory. So now, Lopes is set to clash with Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant belt at UFC 314 on April 12.
Reacting to Topuria’s decision in an ESPN chat, Lopes shared that the UFC brass has laid down the law: champs wanting to jump weight classes have to drop their current titles first. “They were very clear,” Lopes explained. No more hopping around without consequences—if you want to move up, you gotta let go of your crown. That’s the new UFC mantra.
Lopes added, “If he’s gonna be a double champ, he’ll just be a champ of two categories.” Makes sense, right? Topuria snagged MMA Fighting’s 2024 Fighter of the Year award with some jaw-dropping knockouts against Volkanovski and Holloway. He made history by stopping Holloway with strikes—nobody had ever done that before!
Now, Topuria’s got his eyes set on a lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev, though nothing’s official yet. Meanwhile, Lopes is on a hot streak—five wins in a row—and ready to face Volkanovski. Dana White mentioned that Topuria feels he’s conquered all there is at featherweight. Lopes respects the risk but thinks there are still battles left at 145 for “El Matador.”
“But hey,” Lopes shrugged, “it’s up to each fighter.” If Topuria thinks he’s done all he can in the division after beating legends like Max and Volk, well, that’s his call. There are still warriors out there who could give him a run for his money—or even beat him—but if he feels it’s time to move on, so be it. He’s earned that right.