“I asked you earlier who had the most pressure. Was it on Volk? It’s not. And I said I believe Chandler has more pressure…” Daniel Cormier remarked during a heated debate with co-host Chael Sonnen on the Good Guy / Bad Guy podcast, as the duo broke down the looming high-stakes matchups at UFC 314. Both Michael Chandler and Alexander Volkanovski—seasoned UFC veterans inching toward the final chapters of their careers—are set to compete in marquee bouts on this weekend’s blockbuster card at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
The American will feature in the co-main event, while the Aussie ace takes center stage in the UFC 314 headliner—eyeing redemption and the chance to reclaim the featherweight title. Unlike Volk, however, Chandler is no longer in the title mix. With championship dreams seemingly behind him, his focus now leans more toward high-profile, lucrative bouts than legacy-defining moments. Yet despite both men being in the spotlight, Chael Sonnen believes the pressure weighs far heavier on ‘The Great’. Why? Because everything is on the line for the Australian!
Though Alexander Volkanovski once racked up a 22-fight win streak and five successful 145lbs title defenses, his recent run has been rocky. He’s dropped three of his last four fights—twice falling short in lightweight title bids against Islam Makhachev, and most recently, suffering a vicious knockout at the hands of Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, costing him his featherweight belt. With Topuria set to vacate the title and move to lightweight, the door has reopened to reclaim the glory—but the stakes couldn’t be higher. The Aussie now faces surging contender Diego Lopes in a must-win showdown this weekend.
It’s a shot at redemption and a return to glory! But as Sonnen pointed out, the road back is steep and unforgiving. “Volkanovski’s name popping up with the wrong kind of loss—and I’m talking about if he gets laid out or he gets stopped, which is Lopes’ greatest path to victory, by the way—people are going to be calling for retirement. That’s going to give him four losses out of his last five. It’s going to be over a number of years, spread across a couple of different weight classes.”
Uncle Sonnen didn’t stop there, offering a sobering take on the immense psychological toll Alexander Volkanovski might be facing heading into Saturday night: “I don’t take pride in that. But when I’m trying to look at it and analyze it, and think about who’s got the pressure—and pressure matters, guys like you and I talk about pressure all the time…” Then came the gut punch—the bitter truth Sonnen didn’t shy away from: “I think that Volk is not only fighting for a world title—I think he’s fighting for his career.”
It’s a hard pill to swallow, but Sonnen’s words echo the tough reality ‘The Great’ now faces. Once riding high as a dominant featherweight king, the Australian’s fortunes began to shift the moment he stepped into the lightweight division. Since his last win nearly 20 months ago against Yair Rodriguez, it’s been a downward slide. And now, as the pressure builds heading into UFC 314, Sonnen isn’t the only one raising alarms. Another UFC vet has now stepped up—adding his stark warning for Volkanovski. Let’s dive into what he had to say!
Henry Cejudo questions if we’ll see an older version of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314
Well, not if you ask former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo. The last time Alexander Volkanovski stepped inside the Octagon was over a year ago—and it ended in disaster. He faced the ferocious striking of Ilia Topuria and was stopped brutally, snapping a dominant five-year reign at the top. Now, with a 17-1 record at featherweight and signature wins over names like Max Holloway (three times) and Brian Ortega, ‘The Great’ is making his return—flying in from Australia to headline in Miami.
But Cejudo isn’t convinced we’ll see the same version of ‘The Great’ who once ruled the division. At 36 years old, riding a 1-3 stretch in his last four outings. Moreover, father time might finally be catching up to him. Speaking with The Schmo, Cejudo didn’t mince words: “I don’t think it’s the same Volk. I personally think Diego Lopes is gonna beat him. I really do. But if Volkanovski does get it done, he gets it done. It’s not Ilia Topuria that he’s going to [have to] beat. Volkanovski has done some amazing things at 145lbs, but he’s also gone through three losses. Against the best in the world, but that’s still three, and two out of three were knockouts.”
So, where do you stand on the current narrative around Alexander Volkanovski? Does ‘The Great’ still have enough left in the tank to take out a surging Diego Lopes? Or are we on the verge of a major passing-of-the-torch moment? Sound off with your prediction below.
The post Alexander Volkanovski Gets a Bitter Reminder on ‘Fighting for His Career’ Ahead of UFC 314 Return Against Diego Lopes appeared first on EssentiallySports.
