Fight Facts: UFC 314 ‘Volkanovski vs. Lopes’

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and Octagon oddities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC FIGHTS: 8,139
TOTAL NUMBER OF UFC EVENTS: 729

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the good graces of fans by rocking an arena show in Miami that had a little something for everyone. Brutal knockouts, magnificent submissions with a few grudge matches mixed in made this night a memorable one. UFC 314 featured a new “old man” champ, a “Baddy” that passed the biggest test of his career and a contender named “Lord” who smote his opponent.

Old Man Volk: Overcoming the odds and winning against Diego Lopes, Alexander Volkanovski reclaimed his featherweight throne via decision. He is the first fighter above the age of 35 in a weight class beneath the welterweight division that has won a belt.

Aldo > Alex > Max: The victorious Volkanovski became the second fighter to ever serve as a two-time featherweight champ. Jose Aldo achieved this feat by earning the interim crown against Frankie Edgar at UFC 200, and his belt was upgraded months later to the undisputed varietal.

Re-Rising to the Occasion: Additionally, Volkanovski became the first champ to ever secure undisputed gold coming into the bout on a losing streak. Of note, Randy Couture claimed the interim light heavyweight strap against Chuck Liddell at UFC 43 after dropping two in a row for the heavyweight belt.

More Where That Came From: The Aussie earned his 12th victory in the confines of the 145-pound bracket. He ties Andre Fili for the fourth-most in divisional history, and they are both eight shy of leader Max Holloway.

Titletown, Population: Volkanovski: Of his 12 wins at featherweight, seven of them have come in title fights. Jose Aldo’s eight wins in championship affairs maintains the lead in that category.

Slower and Steadier Than Before: The win by decision was Volkanovski’s eighth as a UFC featherweight. Two men hold more: Holloway (nine) and Darren Elkins (12).

A Question of Pace: Thus far in 2025, six bouts have taken place with championship stakes. After “The Great” and Lopes heard the final bell, five of them have gone the distance.

Bad Man: Earning the biggest win of his career, Paddy Pimblett ran roughshod over Michael Chandler en route to third-round stoppage. Including this one, all five of Pimblett’s stoppages in the Octagon have been accompanied by “Performance of the Night” checks.

Beating Bellator: Dropping newcomer Patricio Freire in the third round, Yair Rodriguez went on to claim a clear-cut decision. With his knockdown of Brian Ortega in his last match, Rodriguez achieved knockdowns in back-to-back outings for the first time in his UFC career.

Ninja Lord: With a sudden ninja choke, Jean Silva dispatched Bryce Mitchell in the second frame. The finish rate for “Lord” was elevated to 94% thanks to the submission.

Twelve Foot Ninja: In UFC history, seven previous fighters had landed a ninja choke. With Silva’s in the books, more of these submissions have come by featherweights than fighters from any other weight class.

Under, All Day: To put himself on a three-fight win streak, Dominick Reyes blasted Nikita Krylov with one punch around the midpoint of the opening frame. The former title challenger’s stoppage rate now sits at 80% with his last six outings ending via strikes, win or lose.

It’s Kriller Time: The bout for Krylov was his 40th as a professional. Twenty-nine of those have ended in the first round, regardless of the victor.

Yan Can’t Cook: Although she could not get the tap she sought, Virna Jandiroba settled for a decision against Xiaonan Yan to put her on a five-fight win streak. The Brazilian attempted three times to submit her foe, giving her 16 overall at 115 pounds. She ties Mackenzie Dern with the most in the division’s history.

Anti-Aircraft: Outhustling Jim Miller over three rounds, Chase Hooper landed eight takedowns on “A-10.” No fighter had ever gotten off more than seven on Miller, when he faced Benson Henderson in 2011.

So Close: Miller tried and failed twice to lock down a submission. The grizzled veteran further padded his lead that now sits at 51, more than any other fighter in UFC history. The only active fighter with more than 30 is Charles Oliveira (46).

How Juicy: Julian Erosa put a beating on Darren Elkins to earn the stoppage after four and a fourth minutes of combat. “Juicy J” can celebrate 26 finishes across his 31-win career.

The Damage is Taking a Toll: In a losing effort, Elkins again passed Holloway for the most appearances in featherweight history with 28. No other fighter (Cub Swanson, Fili) has more than 24 fights in that UFC’s division.

No Tears Shed: Drumming out Sedriques Dumas in the opening stanza, Michael Oleksiejczuk claimed his 15th win by strikes. This accounts for 75% of his victory total, with 12 of those coming in Round 1.

Country Boy Can Survive: Marco Tulio laid waste to Tresean Gore, lumping him up with 127 significant strikes and two knockdowns in just over eight minutes of action. The Brazilian nicknamed “Matuto,” loosely translated to “country boy,” rendered a beatdown that boosted his win rate inside the distance to 79%.

Too Many Croissants: Becoming the second fighter to miss weight this year and still prevail in the Octagon, France’s Nora Cornolle locked down a rear-naked choke on Hailey Cowen to get back in the win column. The other seven combatants that weighed in over the limit all lost.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into UFC 314, Pimblett had never finished a match in the third round or later (25 fights), Sean Woodson had never been knocked out (15 fights) and Raposo had never dropped consecutive bouts (11 fights).

He Got Cut Down: Before getting choked out, Mitchell walked out to “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by Johnny Cash. With the loss added to the tally, this song is now one of four in recorded UFC history to sustain at least 25 losses, joining “Eye of the Tiger,” “Gonna Fly Now” and “Thunderstruck.”

Thunder Plains Dweller: The aforementioned “Thunderstruck” also took another loss, as Elkins walked out to it before getting shellacked. The popular AC/DC tune has accompanied more fighters to defeat than any other in UFC walkout music history.