{"id":5727,"date":"2025-04-13T10:05:19","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T09:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=5727"},"modified":"2025-04-13T15:27:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T14:27:47","slug":"the-great-is-back-on-the-throne-volkanovski-regains-his-belt-with-tactical-dominance-over-diego-lopes-at-ufc-314","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/the-great-is-back-on-the-throne-volkanovski-regains-his-belt-with-tactical-dominance-over-diego-lopes-at-ufc-314\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;The Great is back on the throne&#8221;: Volkanovski regains his belt with tactical dominance over Diego Lopes at UFC 314"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2516\" data-end=\"2804\">On a blazing night of MMA action, Australian <strong data-start=\"2561\" data-end=\"2586\">Alexander Volkanovski<\/strong> proved he\u2019s still &#8220;The Great&#8221;, defeating Brazilian <strong data-start=\"2638\" data-end=\"2653\">Diego Lopes<\/strong> by unanimous decision in the main event of <strong data-start=\"2697\" data-end=\"2708\">UFC 314<\/strong>, reclaiming the vacant featherweight (under 66 kg) title with a brilliant tactical performance.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2806\" data-end=\"2851\">Round 1: Smart start and ground control<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2852\" data-end=\"3146\">Lopes entered the fight confidently, looking to trade strikes at the center of the cage. But Volkanovski remained calm and composed, focusing on sharp counters. A powerful strike dropped his opponent, and the Australian took the fight to the ground with dominant wrestling and ground-and-pound.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_15683\"  width=\"696\" height=\"391\"  data-origwidth=\"696\" data-origheight=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QnYitEoocgQ?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3148\" data-end=\"3197\">Round 2: A surprising punch shifts momentum<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3198\" data-end=\"3420\">Volkanovski kept up his dominance with clean strikes and distance management. However, in the final seconds, Diego Lopes caught him with a precise back punch that dropped him, signaling the fight was still very much alive.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 696px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-5727-1\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/X2Twitter.com_TwPX7eKScO0yIPXK_720p.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/X2Twitter.com_TwPX7eKScO0yIPXK_720p.mp4\">https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/X2Twitter.com_TwPX7eKScO0yIPXK_720p.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3422\" data-end=\"3471\">Rounds 3 &amp; 4: A battle of IQ and experience<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3472\" data-end=\"3708\">In round 3, Lopes tried to press his advantage, but Volkanovski quickly regained control. Using his cage experience, he dictated the pace and frustrated the Brazilian. In the fourth, he kept landing and took advantage of Lopes\u2019 fatigue.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3710\" data-end=\"3749\">Round 5: The champion\u2019s composure<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3750\" data-end=\"3933\">In the final round, Volkanovski remained focused, avoiding unnecessary risks. Lopes seemed eager to trade, but &#8220;The Great&#8221; stuck to his game plan with discipline until the final bell.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3935\" data-end=\"3957\">The big comeback<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3958\" data-end=\"4313\">By unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46), <strong data-start=\"4003\" data-end=\"4028\">Alexander Volkanovski<\/strong> reclaimed the title vacated by Ilia Topuria. It is the second time in his career that the Australian captures the UFC featherweight belt.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"ltr\">The king is back! Volkanovski claims his second featherweight title by unanimous decision \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83d\udc51<\/p>\n<p>\u0627\u0644\u0645\u0644\u0643 \u064a\u0639\u0648\u062f! \u0641\u0648\u0644\u0643\u0627\u0646\u0648\u0641\u0633\u0643\u064a \u064a\u062d\u0635\u062f \u0644\u0642\u0628 \u0627\u0644\u0631\u064a\u0634\u0629 \u0644\u0644\u0645\u0631\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u062b\u0627\u0646\u064a\u0629 \u0628\u0642\u0631\u0627\u0631 \u062c\u0645\u0627\u0639\u064a \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83d\udc51<\/p>\n<p>Le roi est de retour ! Volkanovski d\u00e9croche son deuxi\u00e8me titre des poids plumes par d\u00e9cision unanime \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83d\udc51 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9j73f0hvD7\">pic.twitter.com\/9j73f0hvD7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/1911423167186223277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3958\" data-end=\"4313\">He makes a strong comeback after two consecutive knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria. Volkanovski continues to write his legacy.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_55275\"  width=\"696\" height=\"391\"  data-origwidth=\"696\" data-origheight=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0DUUMZTfu8s?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On a blazing night of MMA action, Australian Alexander Volkanovski proved he\u2019s still &#8220;The Great&#8221;, defeating Brazilian Diego Lopes by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 314, reclaiming the vacant featherweight (under 66 kg) title with a brilliant tactical performance. Round 1: Smart start and ground control Lopes entered the fight confidently, looking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,86,21,91],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5727","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"category-mma-video","9":"category-ufc-news","10":"category-ufc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5727"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5727"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5730,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5727\/revisions\/5730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}