Controversy stirs as Diego Lopes is set to face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Championship: “I am the most active fighter in the division”

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Feb 25, 2025, 12:57 IST

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Diego Lopes will fight Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 314. Controversy arose as Aljamain Sterling supports Movsar Evloev as the rightful contender. Lopes argues that his activity and recent wins over top contenders justified his title shot against Volkanovski.

Controversy stirs as Diego Lopes is set to face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC Featherweight Championship: “I am the most active fighter in the division”

Diego Lopes. Image via: Getty Images

Diego Lopesis scheduled to face Alexander Volkanovskifor the recently vacated UFC featherweight championship atUFC 314 on April 12, 2025, in Miami, Florida. The much-awaited fight was announced right after Ilia Topuria decided to move up to lightweight, leaving the featherweight division open for someone new to win.

Diego Lopes slams Aljamain Sterling upon tweet supporting Movsar Evloev being the rightful contender for the division

Lopes, a rising star in the featherweight division, has been on a winning streak since his last loss to Movsar Evloev at UFC 288. The fight was scheduled on very short notice. Despite Evloev remaining undefeated (19-0), the UFC officials opted to give Lopes the title shot instead. Lopes, in recent times, has garnered momentum with victories over top contenders like Brian Ortega, Dan Ige, and Sodiq Yusuff.
The decision to bypass Evloev for the title shot met with criticsms from within the MMA community. Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, took to twitter and expressed his belief that Evloev was the rightful contender. Sterling stated, "It definitely should’ve been Movsar"

While criticisms were being made, Lopes responded with a tweet of his own which implied that Evloev and Sterling have been quite selective in accepting fights and it is because of his active nature, that he could secure the fight.

The fight presents Volkanovski with an opportunity to reclaim the title that he had earned and reigned from 2019 to 2024. The Australian fighter had dominated the division for years, defending his belt against Max Holloway (twice), Brian Ortega, and The Korean Zombie before losing it to Topuria at UFC 298. Before that, he had also suffered a knockout defeat at the hands of Islam Makhachev in the lightweight division.
While Volkanovski remains the most accomplished featherweight of this era, Lopes, on the other hand, has a chance to complete a remarkable success story, starting from a short-notice UFC debut to world champion in under two years.
Also Read: Misfits Boxing 21: Main fight card, time, and key matchups – KSI vs. Dillon Danis and more
With a mix of experience, controversy, and high stakes, UFC 314’s main event promises fireworks, as Volkanovski and Lopes battle for featherweight supremacy.

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TOI Sports Desk

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