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Alexander Volkanovski shatters infamous curse, reclaims title in UFC 314 main event

"The Great" sits atop the UFC's featherweight mountain once again.
Drew Beaupre|
(Zuffa LLC)

Former titleholder Alexander Volkanovski and surging contender Diego Lopes met in the main event of UFC 314 to crown a new featherweight champion.

Considered by many to be the greatest featherweight in the promotion's history, Volkanovski's title reign came to an end when he was knocked out by the undefeated Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 last year.

Topuria's decision to vacate the belt ahead of a move to the lightweight division provided an immediate chance for Volkanovski to reclaim his belt. Standing in his way was a first-time UFC title challenger in Lopes, who entered the night riding the momentum of five-straight wins.

READ MORE: UFC 314: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes free live stream results & highlights

Volk Lopes
(Zuffa LLC)

Volkanovski Bests Lopes In High-Paced Title Fight

Volkanovski and Lopes had a tall order to fill when they entered the cage to close out UFC 314, as the night's main card included impressive finishes from Paddy Pimblett, Jean Silva, and Dominick Reyes, as well as a dominant win from Yair Rodriguez against former Bellator star Patricio Pitbull.

Lopes opted for a fairly measured approach to start his first five-round fight in the UFC, but after Volkanovski found early success with his low kicks it didn't take long for both men to start stepping in with some big combinations of punches.

Volkanovski decided to switch things up late in the round by taking things to the mat, and while Lopes did throw up his legs for a submission "The Great" was able to punctuate the opening frame with some big ground and pound that bloodied his opponent.

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The two engaged in a back-and-forth striking battle for most of the second round before Volkanovski landed a big shot and then quickly clinched up with Lopes along the cage. A return to the center of the Octagon saw the striking resume, and things took a sudden turn late in the round when Lopes dropped Volkanovski just before bell.

Both men had some damage on their faces as they stepped up to begin the third frame. Volkanovski continued to land impactful strikes, but it was clear that the knockdown at the end of Round 2 had significantly bolstered Lopes' confidence as he hunted for another fight-changing exchange.

The pace of the fight remained high as things moved into the championship rounds, and halfway through the fourth round things took another turn as Volkanovski sustained a punch to his eye followed by a huge uppercut that briefly put him on the retreat.

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The commentary team noted that things could potentially be all tied up on the scorecards ahead of the final round, and after another closely-contested five minutes it was Volkanovski who broke an infamous UFC curse and reclaimed the featherweight belt via unanimous decision.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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