Alexander Volkanovski has already taken a victory before his UFC 314 title fight against Diego Lopes has even started.
This Saturday at UFC 314 in Miami, Alexander Volkanovski takes on Diego Lopes for the vacant UFC featherweight title after Ilia Topuria vacated it earlier this year.
Also on the card is a huge co-main event fight between Paddy Pimblett and Michael Chandler, as Pimblett looks to continue his impressive streak in the UFC by entering the top eight of the rankings.
The stakes for the five-round co-main event have been increased after Conor McGregor declared his interest in fighting the winner.
Alexander Volkanovski records highest score on grip strength test
As well as the blockbuster two fights atop of the card, UFC 314 includes the anticipated debut of Patricio Pitbull, who takes on Yair Rodriguez in a huge featherweight fight.
Ahead of the blockbuster fight, a select few fighters competing on the main card took part in a grip strength competition.
UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones and Alex Pereira have also competed in the strength test before, with Jones’ score shocking the fans.
Volkanovski started off proceedings by registering a solid score of 131.2lbs, which was only 1.6lbs less than what Jones scored.
The other half of the main event, Lopes, went on to score an impressive 121.8lbs, not far from ‘The Great’ Volkanovski.
Next up was ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler, who is widely regarded as the strongest wrestler on the main card. The former title challenger registered a score of just 127.6lbs.
High-flying Fighting Nerd, Jean Silva, stepped up next, registering one of the lowest scores of the lot with just 103lbs.
Newcomer Pitbull only slightly one-uped Silva by scoring 104lbs ahead of his debut in the promotion. However, surprisingly, with the lowest score of just 101.4lbs was ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett.
Veteran record holder Jim Miller stepped up, registering a score of 119lbs, showing off why he has 13 submission wins in the promotion.
Drake potentially curses Volkanovski with UFC 314 bet
Just hours before the UFC 314 main event, Volkanovski has potentially been cursed by infamous Canadian rapper Drake.
In the UFC world, it is widely joked that whoever Drake bets on is ‘cursed’ as many stars have fallen after the rapper has wagered bets on them to win.
Making his first UFC bet of the year, Drake has placed a $545,000 wager on Volkanovski to reclaim his featherweight title.
