Alexander Volkanovski has the chance to write his redemption story when many assumed his career had passed a point of no return.
The Australian fan-favourite is back in the Octagon for the first time in over a year this weekend, as he vies to reclaim his featherweight title against rising star Diego Lopes in the main event of UFC 314.
This could well be his last shot at the gold. Volkanovski is already a bona fide icon of the sport, widely hailed for his legacy-defining four-year-plus run as champion. But with three losses in his last four, it feels time is running out for the former rugby prop.
It’s a reality of sport that athletes enjoy a prime and Volkanovski, now 36, is surely past that. The sharp-witted Aussie has even leant into this himself, adopting an “Old Man Volk” character in online skits, a move that cemented his prowess as an entertainer as well as a fighter.
And while his acting prospects may be on the rise, things inside the cage have looked increasingly dire for Volkanovski loyalists over the past couple of years. He returns to the main event off the back of the two KO losses – first to Islam Makhachev on short notice, before losing his title in brutal fashion to Ilia Topuria in February 2024.
From challenging for two belts to having his own stripped from his waist, Volkanovski’s time at the top suffered a traumatic demise. With his once rock-solid chin now in question, many came to the conclusion that the era of Alexander “The Great” was dead. Long live Topuria, his rightful and deserving heir.
Nevertheless, given the significance of Volkanovski’s reign at featherweight, an eventual rematch between the two looked on the cards. This was despite a lack of fan desire to see such a match-up, so convincing was Topuria’s dethroning of the champ. With “El Matador” stamping his mark as a generational talent with immense knockout power, many expected a rehash of the bout to end with Volkanovski face down and out cold, once again. At this stage of the Aussie’s career, no one really wanted to see that.
But things were thrown up in the air when, after just one defence of his title, Topuria shockingly relinquished his featherweight crown. With wins over two of the divisional GOATs – Volkanovski and Max Holloway – Topuria felt he had done all he needed to do at 145lb and, in an overtly audacious move, dropped his belt to pursue pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev at the top of the lightweight throne.
A Topuria “reign of terror” was suddenly no longer forecast at featherweight, and with the championship now lying vacant, Volkanovski no longer had to overcome the fighter that foiled him to achieve title redemption. This was undoubtedly a welcome boost to Volkanovski’s title prospects, but now focus turns to the fresh challenge at hand.
Volkanovski has been pitted against the division’s newest top contender in Lopes, who has rocketed through the ranks since his promotional debut in May 2023. Despite starting his UFC career with a loss to fellow up-and-comer Movsar Evloev – who has enjoyed a rapid rise of his own – Lopes is now on an impressive five-fight tear with big wins over Dan Ige and Brian Ortega.
Lopes is by no means a simple assignment for Volkanovski. A jiu-jitsu specialist, the Mexican-Brazilian is an expert on the mat but also boasts considerable punching power, with two first-round knockouts to his name in the UFC. He will be sure to put the former champion’s chin to the test to see just how much damage back-to-back finishes have done.
There is a hefty gulf in experience between the two fighters, with Lopes coming into his first main event in the UFC. Against one of the promotion’s most tenured headliners, Lopes will need to ensure the bright lights don’t get the better of him. But if his recent outing at Las Vegas’s spectacular Sphere is anything to go by, Lopes doesn’t seem easily fazed by occasion.
A maiden title shot also appears to have come at the perfect time for Lopes. Aged 30 and on a considerable win streak, the Brazilian seems to be at the peak of his powers. While he still has plenty of time in his career to reach the featherweight pinnacle, he will be hungry to become champion at the first time of asking, beating one of the sport’s all-time greats in the process.
All things considered, Volkanovski has one hell of a challenge on his hands in Miami. But crucially, it’s not Topuria that stands in his way. That alone could be the difference in whether he ends his career as a multi-time featherweight champion or not.
Take nothing away from Volkanovski or Lopes – they go into this weekend as worthy headliners, the two leading contenders atop arguably the UFC’s most stacked division. But without Topuria, the door for opportunity has swung wide open.
Volkanovski is the slim favourite to walk out of Miami’s Kaseya Center with the gold, but will need to find his form of old to come out on top against one of featherweight’s new leading lights. Should Saturday night spark the beginning of a Volkanovski career renaissance, we’ll know for sure that “Old Man Volk” is nothing more than a gimmick.
