Diego Lopes has quickly gone from a promising prospect to a legitimate featherweight contender, carving out his place in the UFC. Now at UFC 314, he faces Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant featherweight title. The fight was set in motion after Ilia Topuria vacated the featherweight title to chase a second belt at lightweight, leaving a vacuum atop the mountain. For Alexander Volkanovski, this is a shot at redemption—a chance to reclaim the title he once ruled after suffering back-to-back knockout defeats.

For Diego Lopes, it’s the culmination of years of dedication, an opportunity to prove he belongs among the featherweight elite. However, it seems former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling isn’t quite impressed with the move. For Sterling, it should have been Movsar Evloev who should have had the opportunity to fight for the title ahead of the Brazilian. Evloev has quietly built one of the most dominant records in the UFC featherweight division. A relentless grappler with an ironclad will to win, the Russian standout remains undefeated in his professional career (and UFC career as well), proving time and again that he is a nightmare matchup for anyone in the division.

Sterling recently took to his X account to share his thought process about the fight. However, the posts were shared by Championship Rounds on their Instagram account. He posted on X, “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”. The Brazilian seemed very animated with the tweet and responded with a smiley emoji. But the banter just didn’t end there and Sterling went on to remind Lopes that he was beaten by Evloev and should be grateful for the opportunity.

The Brazilian then took the opportunity to remind the former champion about how active he has been in the division. He wrote in reply, “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.”

The thing is—even though Diego Lopes has been on a tear in the division, he lost his UFC debut to Movsar Evloev. Moreover, Evloev joined the UFC four years before Lopes and is undefeated in nine promotional bouts. On the other hand, Lopes is 5-1 in the UFC since May 2023.

But it’s been set in stone. Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes is a go-ahead for now. And both fighters are looking forward to the clash, much like the fight community. However, according to the former dual-champion, Daniel Cormier the fight holds far more importance for ‘Volk’.

Daniel Cormier gives Volkanovski a hard reality check before UFC 314 clash

Driven to reclaim his throne and silence the skeptics, Volkanovski is on a mission to remind the world why he once ruled the featherweight division. With April 12th marked as his moment of redemption, he’s determined to prove he’s still the man to beat. UFC icons Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen are just as eager for this highly anticipated showdown.

However, the former two-division champion sees this fight as far more crucial for Volkanovski than for the surging contender, Diego Lopes. Volkanovski once seemed invincible at 145lbs, but his recent setbacks have left many questioning his dominance. According to Cormier, UFC 314 could mark Volk’s return or the end of a legacy that few others have created inside the Octagon.

While speaking on their Good Guy/ Bad Guy podcast on YouTube, ‘DC’ said, “He’s getting it now. It feels like he’s in there if he becomes champ no skin nothing lost. But if he loses he propels the young guy forward. Now Diego Lopes is truly the featherweight champion he just beat who could possibly be the greatest featherweight champion of all time.” With both fighters coming in with something to prove, UFC 314 is set to be a clash between battle-tested experience and unstoppable momentum.

All eyes will be on Alexander Volkanovski who is determined to reclaim his throne. However, one cannot look past Diego Lopes, who is riding on a surge of success, inside the Octagon. Who do you see emerging victorious in Miami? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.