By Philip O’Connor
((Reuters)) – Alexander Volkanovski survived a second-round knockdown, roaring back with a super display of striking to score a decision win over Diego Lopes and reclaim the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday night.
Volkanovski enjoyed a four-year reign as champ at 145 pounds before losing the belt by knockout to Ilia Topuria in February 2024, but after a successful defence against Max Holloway in October Topuria gave up the title to step up to lightweight, opening a path back to the top for the Australian.
The 36-year-old started well despite giving up a height and reach advantage and he finished the first round on top in a dominant position, but with 10 seconds remaining in the second frame Lopes sent him crashing to the canvas with a pinpoint combination.
The 30-year-old contender threatened again in the fourth round, but Volkanovski leveraged all of his experience to stay out of trouble, landing stiff jabs and circling away as he secured the win on the judges’ scorecards.
“Adversity is a privilege. You hear people talk about that all the time, (but) it truly is, this moment is incredible,” Volkanovski said in the cage.
“It’s an opportunity – you get adversity, if you build yourself back up it’s only going to make you stronger, even if it doesn’t work out. But a lot of times it does, if you really pursue it,” he added.
In the co-main event, England’s Paddy Pimblett dominated American Michael Chandler to catapult his name into contention for a title shot, overwhelming his American opponent with strikes before taking the fight to the mat and administering more savage blows to force the stoppage in the third round.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by William Mallard)
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