Alexander Volkanovski makes history winning UFC featherweight gold

Alexander Volkanovski is once again a champion. This time his win puts him in monumental status Volkanovski, 36, becomes the first fighter under 155 pounds to win a UFC championship over the age of 35. He also snaps the first losing streak of his career following back-to-back knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.

The final scores came in 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46. “Man, a lot of people counted me out. Right? Coming off two knockout losses. The 35-year-old curse, 36 years old, big break and come back and beat a gun like Diego Lopes, who comes and brings it? Mate, it’s good to be back," a relieved Volkanovski said post-fight. "For everyone watching, hey, adversity is a privilege. You hear people talk about that all the time. It truly is. This moment is incredible“Look what can happen. Break records. This is s*** people are going to write books about; this is going to be movies. That type of s***, that’s what it’s all about.”

Volkanovski  out-landed Lopes by a wide margin of 165-71 in total strikes and 158-63 in significant strikes, however the fight was far closer in reality than those numbers indicate. Lopez showed a warrior mentality. He threw some compelling shots that would have ended any other fighter.  Volkanovski was fighting with destiny.

In addition to becoming the oldest UFC featherweight champion in history, Volkanovski also becomes just the second fighter ever in the division to recapture the title after losing it, joining fellow legend José Aldo in that elite category. Volkanovski was expected to rematch Topuria for the belt in 2025, however those plans changed once Topuria stunningly vacated his title to instead pursue two-division glory in the lightweight division.