Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes share classy exchange after UFC 314 fight

Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes beat the heck out of each other over the weekend, but there is clearly nothing but respect between them.

Volkanovski and Lopes met in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 314 in Miami. The pair collided for the featherweight belt, which was vacated by Ilia Topuria earlier this year.

They ended up going all five rounds, and landed some massive shots on each other throughout, but after Volkanovski’s decision victory, there’s clearly a lot of love between them.

After the card concluded, Diego Lopes took to social media to give Alexander Volkanovski some props. Volkanovski then responded with a classy message of his own.

See their exchange below:

Diego Lopes and Alexander Volkanovski share a wholesome exchange after their fight last night 🤝❤️#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/vdIj6Qa0B5

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 13, 2025

“Congrats [Volkanovski] and thank you for this fight,” Lopes wrote.

“You’re an incredible fighter and human being, brother,” Volkanovski replied. “Wish you nothing but the best.”

With his decision win over Lopes, Volkanovski is now a two-time UFC featherweight champion. He is the first fighter in the division’s history to achieve that feat. In his first reign, he defended the title an impressive five times, before ultimately losing the belt to Topuria. His title defenses came against top-flight foes in Max Holloway (twice), Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega, and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung.

Lopes earned his title shot against Volkanovski with a decision victory over Ortega last September. Prior to that, he defeated long-time contender Dan Ige, also by decision. That fight came together on just hours’ notice, when the UFC’s first attempt at booking the Lopes vs. Ortega matchup fell through. While he didn’t get the result he wanted in Miami, it will likely only take a few more wins for him to fight for the title again.