Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski discovered Ilia Topuria had vacated the 145-pound title at the same time as the public announcement. Volkanovski knew he would face Diego Lopes next, but he had no idea their upcoming bout would be for the vacant featherweight championship.
Volkanovski (26-4) held the UFC featherweight title from December 2019 until February 2024, successfully defending the belt five times. During his championship run, he also competed twice for the UFC lightweight championship, showing his versatility across weight classes.
Speaking recently on the "Believe You Me" podcast, Volkanovski revealed he only found out Topuria was vacating when UFC president Dana White announced it live. "I actually found out when Dana announced that Ilia was vacating," Volkanovski explained. "I knew I'd be fighting Diego Lopes about two weeks before, but I wasn't aware the title would be on the line."
For weeks leading up to the announcement, Volkanovski was left wondering what his next step would be. "At that point, I was thinking, 'Come on, just let me fight. I'll fight anyone. Interim title, whatever it takes—let's just go.' I figured if Ilia Topuria didn't want to fight me now, we could meet later," Volkanovski said. "Then suddenly I saw Dana's stream confirming Ilia had officially vacated and was moving up to lightweight."
Volkanovski admitted he was surprised by Topuria's move, though he had heard him mention wanting to move up previously. "Even though Ilia had talked about eventually going up to lightweight, this caught me off guard," Volkanovski admitted. "I just didn't expect he'd straight-up vacate his title."
Volkanovski lost the featherweight belt to Ilia "El Matador" Topuria earlier and had hoped for a rematch. With Topuria officially moving on, Volkanovski sees facing Lopes for the vacant belt at UFC 300 as his best available option.
"Topuria must have something lined up at lightweight already—maybe a fight against Islam Makhachev," Volkanovski speculated. "Either way, if he believes he's achieved everything at featherweight and wants bigger challenges, good for him. Obviously, I wanted the rematch, but now I have the next-best thing, competing against Diego Lopes for the undisputed belt."
The featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes is set to headline UFC 300, scheduled to take place in Las Vegas. Fans will witness whether Volkanovski can reclaim his crown or Lopes will seize the opportunity to become the new featherweight champion.
