Alexander Volkanovski, Diego Lopes' Next Best Fights After UFC 314 Results

Don't count out Alexander Volkanovski as "The Great" one in the featherweight division just yet. The 36-year-old reclaimed his throne with a unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes at UFC 314.

The win puts him back in the familiar position of champion. The Aussie has one of the most impressive resumes in the division's storied history already.

Now he gets the chance to add some more big names to it.

Here, we'll break down some of the top options for him now that he has the strap back around his waist. We'll also take a look at what could be next for Lopes after coming up short in his title bid.

Let's dive in.

• Movsar Evloev
• Ilia Topuria
• Yair Rodriguez

Volkanovski defied the odds by becoming featherweight champion again at 36 years old. Holding onto the belt could prove to be even more challenging, though.

That's because there's a dominant force on his way up in Movsar Evloev. Volkanovski wasn't shy about acknowledging the rising Russian star as the next fighter on the agenda even before stepping in the cage with Lopes. 

Volkanovski went on record saying that he would call out Evloev after his UFC 314 win, telling Ariel Helwani he believed that Evloev has earned his shot at gold.

Evloev is a perfect 19-0 in the cage and has established himself as a top contender with wins over Lopes, Arnold Allen and Aljamain Sterling in his last three fights.

Evloev should be the next contender, but there are always alternative options for the UFC within the division. Ilia Topuria dropped the belt to chase lightweight glory, but he would obviously jump in front of the line if that doesn't work out.

Yair Rodriguez should also be considered a fringe contender given how dominant he was against Patricio Pitbull on the UFC 314 main card.

• Patricio Pitbull
• Aljamain Sterling
• Yair Rodriguez

Diego Lopes came up short at UFC 314, but it’s not likely that we’ve seen the last of him. His only losses have come against one of the greatest featherweights of all time and the man who is most likely to fight the champion next. 

The UFC should be looking to keep him in the spotlight while giving him a chance to rebuild himself as a legitimate contender. 

They could keep to the fight card and look to another UFC 314 loser. Former Bellator star Patricio Pitbull also had a rough night in a unanimous decision loss to Yair Rodriguez. 

Pairing him with Lopes would give Pitbull another shot at jumping right back into the picture and Lopes the opportunity to rebound against an older opponent. 

A Lopes-Aljamain Sterling fight would pair two of the best submission grapplers in the division. Sterling is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Evloev so both fighters would be looking to bounce back from tough losses. 

The more unlikely bout worth considering is Yair Rodriguez. Pantera will have an argument for a title shot, but it seems like that’s going to go to Evloev. If it does, Rodriguez might want to stay active while he waits for his own shot. 

Lopes could jump at that opportunity and see if he could skip the line back to the top with a huge rebound victory over a fighter who gained a lot of momentum at UFC 314.