Dan Hooker shares bold prediction for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes at UFC 314, belts out 'The Great's' walkout song in car

By Pranav Pandey

Modified Apr 11, 2025 05:41 GMT

Dan Hooker backs Alexander Volkanovski in UFC 314 main event against Diego Lopes while rocking out to his walkout song. — Dan Hooker (inset) backs Alexander Volkanovski in UFC 314 main event against Diego Lopes while rocking out to his walkout song. [Images courtesy: Getty Images]

Dan Hooker recently offered his take on the highly anticipated showdown between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. Volkanovski and Lopes are set to vie for the vacant featherweight title in the main event of UFC 314, scheduled for this weekend at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

‘The Great’ is poised to step back into the octagon following consecutive knockout losses, the latest coming against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 in February 2024. In that fight, Volkanovski was stopped in the second round, marking the end of his reign as the 145-pound champion.

Meanwhile, Lopes enters the bout on a five-fight win streak, having most recently earned a dominant unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Brian Ortega at UFC 306 in September.

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Hooker recently took to Instagram to show his support for City Kickboxing teammate Volkanovski ahead of his upcoming clash with Lopes. While driving, 'The Hangman' was seen enthusiastically vibing to the former UFC featherweight champion's iconic walkout song, 'Down Under' — the 1981 pop rock classic by Australian band Men at Work. He captioned the post:

"Driving to the gym like this all week, baby. Alexander Volkanovski is getting his belt back!"

Check out Dan Hooker's video below:

Dan Hooker believes Alexander Volkanovski’s short turnaround played a role in loss to Ilia Topuria

Alexander Volkanovski stepped back into the octagon at UFC 298 to face Ilia Topuria only four months after being knocked out by reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 in October 2023.

During a recent interview with Sky Sports New Zealand, Dan Hooker suggested that Volkanovski’s rapid return to competition was a major factor in his knockout loss to Topuria:

"I feel like he just turned too quickly around from the Islam Makhachev fight. I don’t think Ilia Topuria did anything that incredible. I feel like he just fought [too soon], and I’ve been there. When I fought Paul Felder and then Dustin Poirier, I fought back-to-back and then rushed into the Michael Chandler fight. It’s not like Michael Chandler did anything that was lightening incredible."

He added:

"You need to learn that as a veteran fighter, and there’s only one way to learn it, and that’s the hard way. The body can only take so much punishment before it needs time to fully recoup."

Check out Dan Hooker's comments below (15:00):

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With over two years at Sportskeeda, Pranav has authored around 2,700 articles, drawing millions of views across a diverse range of topics. While MMA and boxing remain his primary forte, his expertise extends well beyond combat sports. From political analysis to lifestyle trends and other compelling subjects, his work reflects versatility.

His passion for MMA was ignited by iconic moments such as Brock Lesnar’s groundbreaking UFC debut and Conor McGregor’s meteoric rise to superstardom. These events made him understand the unfiltered, gritty essence of competition, drawing him in with their raw authenticity.

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Edited by Pranav Pandey