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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 325: Volkanovski vs Lopes 2
Setting The Table For Saturday’s Return To Qudos Bank Arena In Sydney
By E. Spencer Kyte
For the second consecutive year and eighth time overall, the Octagon returns to Sydney, Australia, for the second consecutive numbered event to kick off the 2026 campaign and the Paramount+ Era in the UFC.
Saturday night, UFC 325 touches down at Qudos Bank Arena with a stellar card headlined by a fascinating featherweight championship rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes, supported by compelling pairings across myriad divisions and the tournament finales for Road to UFC Season 4.
It’s a loaded slate, so let’s get into it, shall we?
Featherweight Championship Main Event: Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes
Less than a year after facing off for the vacant featherweight title in Miami, two-time champion Alexander Volkanovski makes the first defense of his second reign against the man he beat in order to reclaim the throne--Diego Lopes--in a sequel that has the potential to surpass its predecessor.
Volkanovski is one of the best fighters of his generation, without question, and one of the greatest of all-time; a technical master with insane Fight IQ, tons of moxie and mettle, and a resume that will hold up exceptionally well through the years. There is nothing the 37-year-old does that flies off the screen, but that’s the beauty of his game; it’s all about the elite preparation, razor-sharp fundamentals, and ability to adjust on the fly as the situation calls for it that make him such a tremendous champion.
Not yet in his fourth year on the roster, Lopes is fighting for the title for a second time, having gotten himself back in the win column last September with a second-round stoppage win over Jean Silva at Noche UFC in an electric fight that showcased what makes him so incredibly dangerous and entertaining. Traditionally a fast starter that can threaten in every phase, the Brazilian challenger will look to spoil Volkanovski’s homecoming and put a quick end to his second run atop the featherweight division here.
Rematches are endlessly fascinating because both individuals have first-hand experience to draw from the second time around. While Lopes definitely feels like the kind of competitor that will benefit greatly from having been through this once before — he seemed a little “deer in the headlines” at the outset of their UFC 314 clash — Volkanovski is one of the most experienced champions in the fold and has shown time and again that he’s able to give you new looks each time out.
The featherweight division is brimming with talent and primed to be front-and-center all year, and how this one plays out will chart the course for the weight class for the remainder of 2026.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Dan Hooker vs Benoît Saint Denis
The ironic thing about last weekend’s main event being such an intense and entertaining battle is that we don’t have to wait very long to see a potential challenger for the clubhouse lead in the Fight of the Year race, as this pairing between Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint Denis carries the same kind of “instant classic” potential.
Hooker has been one of the most consistently entertaining fighters on the roster since shifting to the lightweight ranks nine years ago, posting an 11-5 record that includes memorable finishes and fights against Jim Miller, Gilbert Burns, Edson Barboza, Paul Felder, Dustin Poirier, Jalin Turner, and Mateusz Gamrot. “The Hangman” makes a relatively quick turnaround after fighting towards the end of November in order to compete close to home and with designs on opening the year with an impressive win that solidifies his place in the rankings, setting him up for something delicious next time out.
After a down year in 2024, Saint Denis rebounded in emphatic fashion in 2025, aligning with coach Nicolas Ott and rattling off three straight stoppage wins to once again climb into the Top 10 in the lightweight division. The French standout needed just 16 seconds to dispatch Beneil Dariush at UFC 323 and now heads to Australia looking to maintain his momentum and make a push towards the Top 5.
I don’t think it’s being unreasonable to believe this could be a 15-minute slobberknocker that ends up as the clubhouse leader in the Fight of the Year race; both men are all-action fighters that are dangerous and durable, which is the perfect recipe. That being said, a quick end is in the cards as well, and no matter where this one falls between those two ends of the spectrum, it should be tremendously fun to watch.
Rafael Fiziev vs Mauricio Ruffy
The second of three lightweight bouts on Saturday’s main card in Sydney pits another two ranked talents against one another as No. 9 Rafael Fiziev squares off with No. 14 Mauricio Ruffy.
Fiziev began his 2025 campaign by replacing Hooker in a bout with Justin Gaethje at UFC 313, dropping a decision to “The Highlight” for a second time in three fights, though each was competitive and thoroughly entertaining. He bounced back in impressive fashion with a unanimous decision win over Ignacio Bahamondes in his adopted home nation of Azerbaijan in June, steadying himself in the division before a knee injury forced him out of an October assignment opposite Charles Oliveira in Rio de Janeiro.
One of the three Fighting Nerds in the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’23 (along with Carlos Prates and Jean Silva), Ruffy entered last year with heaps of momentum and buzz before blasting King Green with a spinning wheel kick at UFC 313 that claimed the silver medal in our year-end countdown of our favorite knockouts of 2025. But he stumbled in September, venturing to Paris and running afoul of Saint Denis, prompting him to spend this camp in Thailand and Australia alongside Volkanovski and his team, bringing added intrigue to his return.
Will Fiziev build on his impressive effort in Baku, or can Ruffy return to the form that had him rocketing through the ranks in the early part of last year?
Tai Tuivasa vs Tallison Teixeira
While most of the main card comes in at 155 pounds or below, Tai Tuivasa and Tallison Teixeira promise to bring some heavyweight thunder to the proceedings in this one.
Fighting for the first time in nearly 18 months, “Bam Bam” touches down in Sydney looking to halt a five-fight slide and recapture the form that produced stoppage wins over Greg Hardy, Augusto Sakai, and Derrick Lewis. The wildly popular Aussie is still just 32, has thunderous power and unexpected athleticism for someone of his stature, so a sudden return to form and 2026 renaissance is certainly not out of the question.
Teixeira made his promotional debut in Sydney last February after earning his place on the roster with a sub-two-minute knockout win on Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS). He blew through Justin Tafa in just 35 seconds, earning a Performance of the Night bonus and a chance to headline opposite Derrick Lewis in his sophomore appearance five months later, which didn’t go nearly as well.
It’s going to be an interesting year in the heavyweight division and this one will definitely factor into how things line up heading into Q2. Everyone is going to be jockeying for position in advance of the presumptive rematch between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane, and a statement effort on either side could set the victor up for something noteworthy next time out.
Quillan Salkilld vs Jamie Mullarkey
The UFC 325 main card gets underway in the lightweight division with an all-Aussie battle between Perth’s Quillan Salkilld and Central Coast man Jamie Mullarkey.
Salkilld earned “Debut of the Year” in the UFC Honors and top spot in our staff poll of the top newcomers in 2025, sending him into his year with heaps of momentum, but a massive spotlight on him as well. After blasting Anshul Jubli in his UFC 312 debut in Sydney and surviving a grueling battle with Yanal Ashmouz four months later, Salkilld really made everyone sit up and take notice with his short-notice, first-round knockout win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.
Off for well over a year following consecutive knockout losses, Mullarkey returned to action in September in Perth, registering a unanimous decision win over Rolando Bedoya to get things moving in the right direction again. The 31-year-old tough out is 6-6 through his first dozen UFC appearances and looks to seize all of Salkilld’s momentum for himself to open his 2026 slate.
Originally scheduled to be a matchup between Salkilld and Rongzhu, this matchup feels more like a surprise quiz than that one, which had a “who advances to the next stage” feel to it. Mullarkey is a game veteran and not someone who goes away easily, and it will be interesting to see how the 26-year-old responds to such an assignment and the pressures that come with having such a tremendous rookie campaign.
Preliminary Card Matchups
Junior Tafa vs Billy Eleneka
Saturday’s prelims wrap in the light heavyweight division as Junior Tafa welcomes Billy Elekana to Australia.
After opening his UFC tenure at heavyweight, Tafa relocated to the 205-pound ranks last time out and returns to action looking to get the year off on a positive note. Thrust into a tough assignment on short notice in his debut, Elekana has since earned back-to-back wins to establish himself as an intriguing figure rising the ranks in the light heavyweight division.
Cam Rowston vs Cody Brundage
It’s a clash of Dana White’s Contender Series alums in the middleweight division as Class of ’25 graduate Cam Rowston squares off with Season 4 contestant Cody Brundage.
Rowston turned his second DWCS appearance into a spot on the UFC roster last summer, then turned around five weeks later to score a first-round stoppage win over Andre Petroski in Perth, extending his winning streak to five in the process. Every Brundage fight is an adventure, and this one should be no different, as the Factory X representative is never in a boring fight and has earned all five of his UFC victories inside the first five minutes.
Jacob Malkoun vs Torrez Finney
It’s a homecoming for Sydney’s own Jacob Malkoun as the veteran returns to action in a clash with undefeated Contender Series grad Torrez Finney.
“Mamba” has been sidelined for nearly two years, but has won four of his last six and looked poised to make a push in the middleweight division before injuries halted his momentum. Unbeaten in 11 pro fights, Finney needed three DWCS wins to land a place on the roster and then added to his run of success with a grimy decision win over Robert Valentin in his maiden trip into the Octagon last April.
Jonathan Micallef vs Oban Elliott
Originally slated to compete last September in Perth, welterweight hopefuls Jonathan Micallef and Oban Elliott will look to settle their differences this weekend in Sydney.
Micallef debuted a year ago with an impressive unanimous decision victory over Kevin Jousset, running his winning streak to three and instantly establishing himself as a person of interest in the 170-pound weight class in the process. Elliott closed out his 3-0 rookie campaign in 2024 with a third-round knockout win over Bassil Hafez at Madison Square Garden before a June setback, and a bout with pneumonia slowed his momentum last year.
Kaan Ofli vs YiZha
Fresh off impressive finishes in 2025, Kaan Ofli and YiZha clash at UFC 325 in a battle of featherweights seeking to keep the ball rolling in the year ahead.
A finalist on Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, Ofli ventured to Rio de Janeiro in October and enraged the partisan crowd by submitting Ricardo Ramos in the first round. After a hard-fought loss to Gabriel Santos in his debut, Road to UFC Season 2 featherweight winner YiZha sparked Westin Wilson in his sophomore outing, finishing the American veteran in just 37 seconds.
SangWook Kim vs Dom Mar Fan
It’s South Korea versus Australia in the Road to UFC Season 4 lightweight finale as SangWook Kim faces off with Dom Mar Fan.
“Frog Man” lost to eventual winning Rongzhu in the show’s second season, but has rolled through his side of the bracket this year, posting second-round stoppage wins over Daichi Kamiya and Ren Yawai to advance to the finals. Mar Fan has registered a pair of unanimous decision victories to land in Sydney and owns an 8-2 record overall, with both of his losses coming against Salkilld on the Aussie regional circuit.
Keiichiro Nakamura vs Sebastian Szalay
In the featherweight finale, Keiichiro Nakamura and Sebastian Szalay lock horns to see who will join their teammates on the UFC roster.
Nakamura, who trains with former RTU tournament winner Rinya Nakamura, scored a gnarly knockout win in the opening round before out-working tournament veteran Li Kaiwen in the semis. A teammate of Salkilld and UFC bantamweight Cody Haddon, the 31-year-old Szalay posted a 47-second stoppage win in the semifinals to punch his ticket to Saturday’s showdown with Nakamura.
Graphic showing Road to UFC Finals lineup for UFC 325
Sulangrangbo vs Lawrence Lui
The Road to UFC bantamweight finale pits Chinese prospect Sulangrangbo against City Kickboxing representative Lawrence Lui.
Just 20 years old, Sulangrangbo is already 10-3 for his career, having earned victories over Peter Danesoe and Sim Kai Xiong to reach the final pairing. Nine years his opponent’s senior, Lui carries a four-fight winning streak into this weekend’s matchup, having scored a second-round stoppage win over Van Y Nghiem to advance to the finals.
Aaron Tau vs Namsrai Batbayar
UFC 325 opens with the RTU flyweight finale as Aaron Tau and Namsrai Batbayar look to set the tone of this year’s fight card in Sydney.
Another member of the famed City Kickboxing crew, Tau has posted three straight victories since his DWCS appearance opposite Elijah Smith, including a punishing first-round stoppage win in the opening round of the tournament. The 25-year-old Batbayar is the lone finalist to earn finishes in each leg of the tournament thus far, and aims to maintain his 100 percent rate while securing a place on the UFC roster by turning aside Tau here.
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UFC 324 - Gaethje vs. Pimblett
