Tom Aspinall warns Alexander Volkanovski on ‘do or die’ title fight at UFC 314

Tom Aspinall thinks Alexander Volkanovski won't have much drive to get going if he loses against Diego Lopes at UFC 314.

Tom Aspinall warns Alexander Volkanovski on ‘do or die’ title fight at UFC 314

Tom Aspinall lays out the land for UFC 314's Alexander Volkanovski (Source: X/IMAGO)

Former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski returns atop the UFC 314 PPV headliner this weekend. He is matched up against Diego Lopes for the soon-to-be vacant 145-pound title gold. Volk said he went “above and beyond” in camp to prep for UFC 314. In a recent media sit-down, interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall reminded the Aussie legend of what’s at stake here.

Every UFC title crack is a big one, but Alexander Volkanovski is entering into this one on the heels of back-to-back title-fight KO losses. He’s arguably one of the best featherweights in the promotion’s history. But some believe he is trailing behind peak performance, and it’s a do-or-die case. According to Tom Aspinall, Volk might be on the deep end on this one, with not much to get back to if he lost again.

I’m happy to see [Volkanovski] get another shot… I think it’s gonna be a good fight. I think that it’s gonna be Volkanovski’s last crack at getting a title shot and getting a title again. But it’s interesting to see where Volkanovski’s at because that guy can seriously get down in there and get after it. And from what I’ve seen… I think it’s a good scrappy featherweight fight and I’m looking forward to it.

Tom Aspinall to UFC on EuroSport
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Volaknovski suffered losses to UFC 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria. After losing his featherweight title to Topuria, ‘The Great’ chose to take almost more than a year in sabbatical to recover. With a long layoff by his standards, short-notice king Volkanovski returns to action after 420 days away from a fight. After back-to-back stoppage losses, he billed the extended layoff was important.

For a mild while, the former champ also contemplated calling it quits. Topuria had promised him a rematch, but had to move to 155 pounds later due to cut issues. After going 5-1 in his first title reign, the Aussie fighter had very little work at the top of the food chain.

Volkanovski did pitch in on an interim battle against Diego Lopes from the very first and was ready for it. Tom Aspinall, though, thinks he could be at the end of his emotional driver to help him come back.

Coming into UFC 314 PPV, Alexander Volkanovski rejects curses, went full gear in camp this time

On April 12, ‘Old Man‘ Volkanovski enters the foray of a 10th consecutive title booking. He meets brawler and 2024 breakout fighter Diego Lopes in the UFC 314 PPV main event at Kaseya Center. Even though Alexander Volkanovski is once again scrapping for undisputed gold, he knows he’s in a tough situation. That’s why the former champ said he’s gone overdrive in his preparation.

Alexander Volkanovski ready to prove naysayers wrong vs. Diego Lopes
Alexander Volkanovski ready to prove naysayers wrong vs. Diego Lopes (Source: X)

Volk and his losses have gone viral due to many curses. One of which was the 35+ champ curse where titleholders lose their strap after the age. However, the 36-year-old said he’s ready for it all and will prove naysayers wrong.

A lot of people are doubting me, but like usually, I’ll be a bit spiteful about it if that makes sense, but now I’m like going, ‘Yeah, I get why yous think that, but I’ma show yas, ….So, I still have that something to prove, but I’m not angry about it, if that makes sense…I’m gonna prove it to the world!

Alexander Volkanovski during Weednesday’s UFC 314 Media Day

In the past, Volkanovski said he would look for things that would serve to motivate him. Getting angry about what other people thought or placed him at was a way of psyching himself in camp. Now, the 36-year-old says he’s moved on from that.

This time around, he said he wanted to prove he’s still got it, even against the new school of talents. If he does get past Diego Lopes, Volk thinks this will be the comeback to talk about for years.

Related: Is Alexander Volkanovski a chef? Learn about UFC featherweight champ’s impressive cooking skills