Former UFC Champion Weighs in on UFC 314

In UFC 314, former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has a chance to regain the title against No. 3 ranked Diego Lopes.

Alexander Volkanovski comes into UFC 314 looking to rebound from back-to-back losses.

Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker believes that Volkanovski has the tools to get the win over Lopes but really questions if Volkanovski will show up completely in the fight.

“I think the million-dollar question is what Volk are we going to see in the octagon that night come UFC 314 because everyone was already talking about his losses to [Islam] Makhachev. His knockout. And then you back that onto the knockout with [Ilia] Topuria. You back that onto his age. As MMA fans like to do, as soon as he lost, they started throwing his age around and calling him a wash which is the silliest thing I’ve ever heard,” Whittaker said on the MMArcade Podcast.

Whittaker continued, “MMA fans are the best and worst as people. They really are. The truth is, he’s been out for a while now. He’s coming off two loses in a row, Makhachev and Topuria. Bad losses the last couple. His age is a factor in this. Which Volk are we going to see in the octagon come UFC 314.”

“Makhachev 1 Volk I believe beats Diego Lopes. Volk’s skillset and just his composure, his toughness, his grit, his fight IQ, his ability to fight in the octagon is second to none. He’s amazing, but with all the other factors we looked into, what Volk are we going to see,” Whittaker said.

What will be interesting to watch is if Volkanovski lives up to the expectations that Whittaker and others have of his talent and ability to come out with power.

UFC 314 takes place on Saturday, April 12 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.