Diego Lopes Admits Alexander Volkanovski Will ‘Be Better’ in Their Fight at UFC 314 Because of His Mindset

Will Alexander Volkanovski be the same fighter he once was when he takes on Diego Lopes for the featherweight title at UFC 314? The former champion, sitting on a 2-fight skid courtesy of brutal knockouts from Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, would definitely be dealing with some demons.

Volkanovski sure would be carrying some ring rust. His last fight was on February 17, 2024, at UFC 298. So, he will be back inside the octagon after a gap of a year and two months.

At 36 years of age, a gap that long, as well as the two vicious KOs he has endured, can do a lot of harm to the fighter’s psyche and even form. However, Lopes has stated that it would be foolish to doubt Volk’s readiness.

Lopes, who, in contrast to his opponent, is on a five-bout winning streak, believes this gap year would have only helped Volk become a better fighter.

“I think Alex is going to be better. The guy has rested for one year and he’s healthy for the next fight. Alex knew he was 100% next to fight for the title. So I think the guy stayed in the preparation for a long time,” Lopes told Ariel Helwani.

“I think Alex is going to be better. The guy has rested for one year and he’s healthy for the next fight.

Alex knew he was 100% next to fight for the title. So I think the guy stayed in the preparation for a long time.”

Diego Lopes on his expectations for Alex Volkanovski. pic.twitter.com/jKA3B9cH1m

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 24, 2025

Meanwhile, Lopes is no pushover either. The 30-year-old has been on an impressive rise in the division and sees this as the perfect opportunity to make his mark at the top. The title shot that had eluded him for so long has finally arrived.

However, not everyone believes he belongs in there with Volkanovski, at least not with the title on the line. One of his detractors is former champion Aljamain Sterling, who asserted Movsar Evloev deserves it far more than the Brazilian.

Sterling presents Evloev’s case

Evloev, who defeated Sterling at UFC 310 last December, also has a strong case to fight for the vacant belt. He is 19-0 in all pro MMA fights. Nine of those fights were in a UFC setting. This is why Sterling believes the UFC should have asked Evloev before going to Lopes.

However, he did say that Lopes rightly accepted the shot as no fighter in their right mind would turn down the opportunity.

Definitely should’ve been Movsar but of course, no fighter in their rightful mind, will ever turn down a title shot because they think “it’s the right thing to do”, so that someone more deserving gets it https://t.co/ZjXVqvxPCV

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 22, 2025

Lopes, noticing Sterling’s post on X, branded it as a joke, which led to further back-and-forth exchanges. The Brazilian defended his position, arguing that he earned his title shot through his activity in the division.

Accusing both Sterling and Evloev of avoiding matchups, he claimed his career wasn’t riddled with as many bad choices.

The joke is that I’m going to fight for the title because I’m the most active fighter in the division, because I accept fights and don’t deny them like you and your friend Movsar did and do. https://t.co/ITaZAAl5T5

— Diego Lopes (@Diegolopesmma) February 24, 2025

Lopes and Evloev have fought each other once, at UFC 288. The Russian secured a unanimous decision victory in the bout.

Since that loss, Lopes has been on a dominant streak, including an impressive victory over Brian Ortega at UFC 306. That, and his unbeaten run, made his case strong for the championship opportunity.