“Fight of ages” - Alexander Volkanovski’s coach reflects on interesting rematch scenario against Ilia Topuria 

Alexander Volkanovski has not entered the octagon since February 2024, when he suffered a second-round knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, losing the featherweight title in the process. 'The Great' is set to make his return to the octagon at UFC 314, facing Diego Lopes for the title after 'El Matador' vacated the belt to move up to the lightweight division.

The No.1-ranked featherweight's coach, Joe Lopez, weighed in on a potential scenario where the two stars could have a rematch for the lightweight title. When asked about the two fighting, with both being champions, he told Denis Shkuratov of Submission Radio:

"Oh, 100%, it would be a fight of ages, you know, and I know Volk wants to get that back. I know he wants to - you know, he's pretty disappointed that Ilia pulled out, you know, because, yeah, Volk's a very proud and - he wants it back. He just wants it back."

Lopez added:

"Like I've said, maybe we came back too early after the Islam [Makhachev] fight [at UFC 294] and Volk was a little bit gun shy, you know, but we're not here to make excuses. But we'd really like to get that one back, you know."

Check out Joe Lopez's comments on Alexander Volkanovski rematching Ilia Topuria below (starting at the 8:12 mark):

Volkanovski will have the opportunity to reclaim the featherweight title that he held for over four years. Meanwhile, it appears that Topuria is on a collision course with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev after vacating the title.

Alexander Volkanovski shares a message to Diego Lopes

Alexander Volkanovski is set to face Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314. He shared a message to his upcoming opponent after labeling him as a dangerous opponent, stating:

"I think Lopes is in for a very, very hard fight. He's a gamer, he's a great dude, I've got a lot of respect for him, very nice fellow. I'm sure he's expecting to go out there and win the belt, but I'm sorry, mate, that ain't happening. Good on you for being in this position, happy you're getting the opportunity to fight for the belt, but I'm still here. You ain't having it. Sorry mate."

Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments on Diego Lopes below:

Lopes will enter the bout on a five-fight winning streak, with his most recent victory coming against Brian Ortega at UFC 306. Meanwhile, Volkanovski has lost three of his past four bouts. However, his only career loss at featherweight remains his UFC 298 loss to Ilia Topuria.