Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
- Alexander Volkanovski
- Diego Lopes
- Islam Makhachev
There’s no rest for the champion of a stacked division. There are usually a number of quality contenders at 145 and Topuria already has two logical options.
Max Holloway actually shed some light on the status of the featherweight division ahead of the UFC 308 main event, telling reporters that Alexander Volkanovski is the next title contender while making the case for Diego Lopes.
“It’s just weird that they’re telling Alex he has the next title fight and then to have another guy as the backup. But I guess so. If you look at the heavyweight division, anything can happen in the world,” Holloway said. “At the end of the day, I think Diego Lopes is a promising upcoming star. He’s not even upcoming anymore. He’s doing what he’s doing. It’s cool. Congrats to him having that moment.”
Lopes was the backup fighter Saturday night, making the weight cut down to 145 pounds in case either headliner was unable to make the walk.
The UFC has a proven draw on their hands in Volkanovski and it was a bit surprising that he didn’t get an immediate rematch given how dominant he was as a champion. At the same time, Lopes has stepped up for the organization several times and he’s won three fights in 2024 to build a five-fight win streak.
The other option is for Topuria to make the move up to lightweight. It feels a bit early for that, but he’s already laid the groundwork for a rivalry with current champ Islam Makhachev telling reporters that he’ll be the first one to submit Makhachev if they do fight.
That might be biting off more than he can chew given the size discrepancy, but these are all exciting options.
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