UFC 314’s main event will see Alexander Volkanovski take on Diego Lopes, with the vacant UFC featherweight title on the line.
The fight pits two top contenders in the featherweight division against one another in a high-stakes clash in Miami.
Alexander Volkanovski is considered one of the best featherweight fighters ever seen in the UFC, while Diego Lopes is one of the top fighters in the division and a potential world champion.
The pair will clash for the UFC featherweight Championship at UFC 314, despite neither fighter having beaten the last man to hold the title, Ilia Topuria.
Ilia Topuria vacated the UFC featherweight title due to a promised fight with Islam Makhachev
Topuria vacated the UFC featherweight championship recently as he seeks to move up a weight class for a dream fight for UFC fans.
“La Leyenda” has conquered the featherweight division as champion, remaining undefeated throughout his rise up the division.
Topuria teased a fight with Islam Makhachev after vacating the title. He explained at the WOW 17 event in Madrid that he vacated the belt because he was promised a title shot against the champion.
“The UFC promised me I’d fight for the belt. That’s why I vacated it. And they’ve always kept their promise.”
Topuria beat Volkanovski, Max Holloway and other top featherweight stars as he dominated the division, with a record of 16 wins and 0 losses in his career so far.
A fight with UFC Lightweight Champion Makhachev will be a huge challenge for the undefeated fighter, but the supremely confident Topuria believes he can make the step up.
Dana White said it was Topuria’s choice to vacate the UFC featherweight title
Other fighters, like Conor McGregor, have moved up to Lightweight while remaining as the featherweight Champion.
However, Topuria didn’t want to get in the way of other fighters’ opportunities at the 145lb weight class, and decided to vacate the title on his own.
This was according to Dana White at the UFC Seattle post-fight press conference when he was asked why Topuria vacated the UFC featherweight title.
Dana White said: “No, he did. He said, ‘I’ve done everything I can do here. I’m ready to move up.’ And he vacated it.
“He said, ‘I shouldn’t be holding up anybody’s opportunities.’ And, you know, it’s always… I respect when guys do that.”
Because of Topuria’s selflessness, the UFC 314 main event between Volkanovski and Lopes will be for the vacant UFC featherweight title.
