Topuria opted to leave his 145-pound title behind for a move up to lightweight. As a result, Volkanovski (26-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC) will battle Diego Lopes (26-6 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for the vacant title in Saturday’s UFC 314 main event ( ESPN+ pay-per-view) at Kaseya Center from Miami.

Can Alexander the Great return to form and regain the UFC featherweight strap in the same night? See the odds ahead of UFC 314.

Volkanovski had plenty of reason for wanting to get to work. He took an extended layoff after losing in February 2024 to Topuria. More than that, he's coming off defeats in three of his past four fights, including losing the two most recent matches. All four fights occurred in less than a year, so now he's much more rested.