UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes for Featherweight Title as Topuria Vacates
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The UFC has announced a significant change in the featherweight division, as current champion Ilia Topuria will be vacating his title to move up to the lightweight division. This decision has paved the way for a new title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes at UFC 314. Volkanovski, a former featherweight champion, will be looking to regain his title after suffering consecutive knockout losses, including one to Topuria in his last title defense.
Diego Lopes, on the other hand, has been on a tear, winning five fights in a row, including a dominant unanimous decision over Brian Ortega in his last outing. Lopes will be looking to capitalize on his momentum and become the new featherweight champion. The co-main event of UFC 314 will feature a lightweight fight between Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett, two highly skilled and exciting fighters. Chandler, a former title challenger, will be looking to get back on track after a decision loss to Charles Oliveira, while Pimblett will be seeking to continue his unbeaten streak in the UFC.
The UFC 314 card will also feature the debut of former Bellator two-weight world champion Patricio "Pitbull" Freire, who will face Yair Rodriguez in a featherweight fight. Freire, considered one of the best fighters to never compete in the UFC, will be looking to make a statement in his debut and potentially earn a title shot. Other notable fights on the card include a welterweight bout between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, which was announced as the main event of UFC 315. The fight was a surprise, as Della Maddalena was originally scheduled to face Leon Edwards in London.
The UFC 315 card will also feature a flyweight title fight between champion Valentina Shevchenko and challenger Manon Fiorot. Shevchenko, widely considered the greatest women's flyweight of all time, will be looking to defend her title against the undefeated Fiorot. The fight will be a highly anticipated one, as Fiorot has been on a tear in the UFC, winning seven fights in a row. The UFC has also announced that Sean Brady will face Leon Edwards in a welterweight bout, after Della Maddalena was pulled from the fight to face Muhammad for the title. The featherweight division is expected to be shaken up in the coming months, with Topuria's move to lightweight and the new title fight between Volkanovski and Lopes.
The lightweight division will also be worth keeping an eye on, as Topuria will be joining a stacked division that includes fighters like Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, and Dustin Poirier. With the UFC's schedule filling up, fans can expect a lot of exciting fights in the coming months. Here are the match scores for the upcoming UFC events:
- UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes
- UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena
- Alexander Volkanovski: 26-4
- Diego Lopes: 26-6
- Ilia Topuria: 16-0
- Michael Chandler: 23-9
- Paddy Pimblett: 22-3
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