UFC legend Chael Sonnen claims the winner of Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway will not face former champ Alexander Volkanovski.

The featherweight division saw a change in who reigned as the champion. The new champ, Ilia Topuria, will face Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. The MMA world eagerly awaits the clash between hard-hitting Topuria and the BMF Holloway. As of now, Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes are waiting in the wings to see if any potential opportunity arises.

Long-time champions will get a title rematch in the UFC. Kamaru Usman got it after losing the title to Leon Edwards and so did Israel Adesanya after UFC 281. Logic suggests Volk will get a shot, but UFC legend Chael Sonnen thinks otherwise. He believes Diego Lopes has been unofficially named the backup to Topuria vs. Holloway. As such, there is a scenario where Lopes might overtake Volk for the title shot.

At bell time, I believe he [Lopes] will be the replacement fighter. And if history tells us anything, the replacement fighter that goes through that process does the training camp, flies to the event, and sits in the front row. They get to go next.

This situation mirrors that of welterweight contender Colby Covington. The American welterweight earned a title shot by making weight as a backup fighter for UFC 286: Leon Edwards vs. Kamaru Usman. Fast forward to UFC 296, and Covington fought Edwards for the title. Similarly, if history repeats itself, the No. 3 ranked featherweight could follow the same path to a title shot.

Lopes has had a meteorological rise to the top of the division. No other featherweight in the UFC has come close to his level of activity since May 2023. If he can follow through with his promises as a backup, he could be the next in line for the UFC 308 main event winner. Nothing is final; these are what Chael Sonnen thinks could happen. Meanwhile, Lopes wouldn’t mind scrapping Volk before 2024 ends.

Diego Lopes calls out former champ Alexander Volkanovski (via Imago)

Lopes is ready to sit ringside as backup. For UFC 303, he signed on to fight Ortega on just two weeks’ notice. As long as nothing happens to the main event of UFC 308, the BJJ specialist wants to return as soon as possible. He issued a callout to Alexander Volkanovski for a dream fight to determine the next challenger.

I think the two most viable options for us right now are being the backup fighter in Abu Dhabi, or fighting Volkanovski in December. The UFC is aware that I’m available for [UFC 308] so it depends on what they want to do.

Since then, Alexander Volkanovski has stated that his next fight will be for the title. If something happens to the winner of Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway, Volk might consider fighting Lopes for the interim title. If not, Volk vs. Lopes is not happening. As such, the BJJ specialist will need to fight someone else to earn the featherweight title shot.

Diego Lopes delivered an impressive performance against fellow featherweight Brian Ortega at UFC 306 in the Sphere. The consistent and hungry Lopes left Ortega battered after three rounds. Afterward, Lopes called out the top contenders of the division, as he seemed confident for a title charge.