Main Card
- Alexander Volkanovski def. Diego Lopes via Decision, Unanimous (UFC Featherweight Championship)
- Benoit Saint-Denis def. Dan Hooker via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:45)
- Mauricio Ruffy def. Rafael Fiziev via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:30)
- Tallison Teixeira def. Tai Tuivasa via Decision, Unanimous
- Quillan Salkilld def. Jamie Mullarkey via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:02)
Preliminary Card
- Billy Elekana def. Junior Tafa via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 3:18)
- Cam Rowston def. Cody Brundage via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:08)
- Jacob Malkoun def. Torrez Finney via Decision, Unanimous
- Jonathan Micallef def. Oban Elliott via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 3:31)
Early Prelims
- Kaan Ofli def. Yizha via Decision, Majority
- Dom Mar Fan def. Kim Sang-uk via Decision, Unanimous (Road To UFC Lightweight Final)
- Keiichiro Nakamura def. Sebastian Szalay via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:48) (Road To UFC Featherweight Final)
- Lawrence Lui def. Sulangrangbo via Decision, Split (Road To UFC Bantamweight Final)
Performing in front of his home country supporters for the first time in nearly three years, Alexander Volkanovski didn’t disappoint.
The long-time featherweight star prevailed in a calculated five-round rematch against Diego Lopes, out-striking the Brazilian contender to retain the UFC Featherweight Championship. Volkanovski’s unanimous decision win headlined UFC 325 from the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
The majority of the fight saw Volkanovski get the edge in competitive stand-up exchanges. The Australian found a home for his right hand on the backfoot, perfectly timing his counter shots to land clean on Lopes.
Lopes gave Volkanovski a fair amount of adversity throughout and was never significantly hurt by the hard shots he absorbed. His best moment came in the third frame, when a counter right briefly dropped Volkanovski to his knees.
Volkanovski tried for takedowns early on, but eventually gave up on the attempts. It was only in the fifth round that he returned to the gameplan, causing a scramble-heavy sequence where he defended a variety of submissions from Lopes.
“I wanted to take him out, I wanted to take him down and put him out, but he was so strong,” Volkanovski said in his post-fight interview. “I didn’t want to stand for 25 minutes, I’ll be honest.”
Volkanovski and Lopes initially met last April, battling for a lightweight title vacated by Ilia Topuria, who had opted to move up a weight class. In a similarly competitive yet decisive five-round performance, Volkanovski overcame Lopes to earn the belt, regaining undisputed champ status for the first time since 2022.
Lopes was given another shot at the title after slowing Jean Silva’s momentum last year, handing the Fighting Nerds stand-out his first UFC loss with a second-round spinning back elbow finish.
For Volkanovski, Saturday’s performance furthered his legacy as one of the greatest featherweight fighters of all time. He has now defended a 145-pound title six times between two reigns, figures in the division which have only been previously topped by Jose Aldo.
This weekend was not just a long-awaited homecoming for Volkanovski, but also the first time he has ever defended a title on home turf. His last appearance in Australia was a rare low point for his career, losing a tight five-round decision up at lightweight against Islam Makhachev. Now, for the first time since 2018, when he was still an up-and-coming talent in the 145-pound division, “Alexander The Great” can celebrate with his local supporters.
The 37-year-old noted afterward that he is open to facing whoever is next in line for a shot. When looking down the division’s rankings, there are numerous first-time matchups available for him, including bouts against undefeated contenders like Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev.
