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The No. 7-ranked UFC featherweight fighter has lauded Alexander Volkanovski’s performance against Diego Lopes at UFC 314.
'The Great', who was coming off two back-to-back losses against Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, returned to winning ways to reclaim the vacant UFC featherweight strap.
The Australian champion controlled the range and pace perfectly for five rounds to secure a unanimous decision victory. With that, he became the first fighter over 35 years of age to win a featherweight title.
Although Lopes managed to stop Volkanovski from taking the game to the ground and also stunned his opponent a few times, it was not enough, as he failed to find a finish. The 30-year-old mainly used his striking and lacked tools to outclass the then-former champion.
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UFC featherweight contender Arnold Allen (20-3) lauded the winners of the UFC 314 main card and specifically Volkanovski. 'Almighty' who boasts wins over Dan Hooker, Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze among others, plans to get back to the octagon to chase the title. He posted on X:
"Managed to catch up with the ufc with no spoilers, how great did Paddy look!, Yair looked good too, Great job by Volk to regain the title must’ve overcome some demons to get back there, fair play! Can’t wait to get back chasing that title."
Check out Arnold Allen's comments about Alexander Volkanovski below:
Alexander Volkanovski delivers a heart-touching post-fight speech
In the post-fight octagon interview with Joe Rogan, Alexander Volkanovski expressed happiness of returning to the octagon. He also discussed his last bout, where he lost his gold to Ilia Topuria, and the pledge he made to his kids to bring the belt home this time.
Volkanovski said:
"It’s good to be back. I’ve never felt the love so much. I was saying all week, even to the camera before I walked out, I said, ‘I promise my girls I’ll bring the belt back to them.’ But then I was thinking, 'It doesn’t matter about bringing the belt back.'"
He added:
"I think the message was that a lot of people counted me out, coming off of two knockout losses... And come back to beat a gun like Diego Lopes... It feels good to be back. Adversity is a privilege, you hear people talking about it all the time. It truly is. This moment is incredible."
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below:
