Alexander Volkanovski is coming for his belt back.
This Saturday, Volkanovski takes on Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title in the main event of UFC 314 in Miami, and at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins, the two shared a respectful and uneventful final faceoff before Volkanovski delivered a message for all his fans.
“It’s good to be back! We back!” Volkanovski said. “Again, dangerous guy, but that strap is coming back with me. Let’s go!”
Throughout the buildup for this fight, Lopes has been respectful of Volkanovski (though less so of Yair Rodriguez), and that continued in his final remarks about the former featherweight champion on Saturday.
“Alex is an amazing guy, great fighter, but I think this is my moment,” Lopes said. “This is my moment to prove to everybody. I’m excited for this opportunity. Saturday night, I will put on a show for everybody.”
The co-main event faceoff between Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett was also without controversy, though the two did show a little more spirited banter when they were actually face-to-face. Pimblett noted that this is his chance to get one step closer to becoming a world champion, while Chandler sang Pimblett’s “Paddy the Baddy” song and brought his trademark energy to the festivities.
UFC 314 goes down Saturday night at Kaseya Center in Miami, FL, with the pay-per-view main card kicking off at 10 p.m. ET.
