By FCF Staff

Ilia Topuria’s run as the UFC’s featherweight champion has ended, as UFC CEO Dana White recently announced the renowned fighter has vacated the title. As a result, former champ Alexander Volkanovski is going to battle Diego Lopes for the now, vacant, featherweight crown.

Volkanovski (26-4) versus Lopes (26-6) will headline UFC 314, which is taking place on April 12th in Miami.

White also reported that Topuria (16-0) decided to vacate the title due to how much weight he needs to cut to make 145 pounds, and that the UFC plans to announce his next fight soon. The Georgian-Spanish star has repeatedly talked about moving to lightweight to challenge for that division’s title.

Following Topuria’s knockout win over Max Holloway in October, the now-former champ initially said he was open to rematching Volkanovski. Topuria took the belt from Volkanovski in February, 2024, via a second-round, knockout.