UFC president Dana White broke some news Wednesday night. UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria has vacated his title, with a new match set to crown a champion in the division.
White confirmed that Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will meet at UFC 314 for the vacant belt.
Also, former Bellator champion Patricio Freire has signed with the UFC. Freire asked for and was granted his PFL release earlier this year.
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Freire’s first Octagon opponent will be Yair Rodriguez. That bout will also take place at UFC 314 from Miami.
Topuria made the decision to vacate the title as he has his sights set on a new challenge. He will make the move up to lightweight with hopes of securing gold at 155 pounds in the near future.
Volkanovski will be fighting for the first time since losing the belt to Topuria in early 2024. He is just 1-3 over his last four, having also lost twice to Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt.
Lopes has reeled off five straight wins, improving to 26-6 overall. He downed Brian Ortega this past September via decision.
UFC 314 Receives Alexander Volkanovski-Diego Lopes
UFC 314 takes place April 12 from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. It marks the fourth visit to Miami overall and first since early in 2024.
Along with the aforementioned Volkanovski vs. Lopes and Freire vs. Rodriguez bouts, Gilbert Burns, Dominick Reyes and Jim Miller are all scheduled for action.
Burns will battle Michael Morales, Reyes takes on Nikita Krylov and Miller meets Chase Hooper. Other scheduled bouts include Yan Xiaonan vs. Virna Jandiroba, Darren Elkins vs. Julian Erosa and Su Mudaerji vs. Mitch Raposo.
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