UFC 325 results, highlights: Alexander Volkanovski outpoints Diego Lopes a second time to retain title

Volkanovski put on an impressive display in front of his home crowd on Saturday in Australia

Alexander Volkanovski is making it harder to deny him the title of featherweight G.O.A.T. Many expected a more competitive rematch between Volkanovski and Diego Lopes at UFC 325. Instead, the featherweight champ beat Lopes by greater margins the second time.

Volkanovski fought nearly perfectly in their first fight, but Lopes' finishing ability and physical advantages caused scares. In theory, Lopes should have performed better the second time. He improved his wrestling and worked diligently on the technical aspects that plagued him the first time. Lopes showed improvements on Saturday, but for every problem that Lopes solved, Volkanovski puzzled him with more from his deep bag of tricks.

"Make adjustments on the fly," Volkanovski said post-fight while describing the qualities that make a UFC champion. "Stay composed in the fire."

Volkanovski expertly utilized stance switches to stop Lopes from trapping him. Lopes did a better job of cutting off the cage compared to their first fight, but couldn't track the champion's changing stance. Volkanovski also committed to more power shots than he did the first time. Lopes scored a flash knockdown in Round 3, but the champ's quick recovery and success earlier in the round negated it. The final round was particularly thrilling when a grappling exchange left Volkanovski fending off submission from the jiu-jitsu expert.

The judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45 in favor of the champion despite very close striking margins. By contrast, Volkanovski won by a margin of 48-47 on one scorecard the first time around. What Volkanovski gave up in volume compared to the first fight, he made up for with power and defense.

Post-fight, Volkanovski suggested a showdown with top contenders Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy. 

The win tied Volkanovski with Jose Aldo for all-time featherweight title defenses (eight). Volkanovski furthered his case as the all-time greatest featherweight with the achievement. Volkanovski, who is enjoying his second featherweight title reign, has a win over Aldo, and three wins against fellow GOAT nominee Max Holloway.

Elsewhere on the card, Benoit Saint Denis continued his climb up the lightweight rankings with a thrashing of Dan Hooker. Saint Denis battered Hooker after securing a takedown in the second round before the referee finally waved the fight off. Plus, Mauricio Ruffy bounced back from a defeat against Saint Denis to score a knockout of his own against Rafael Fiziev in a featured bout. Both men could find themselves in interesting matchups next as they jockey for position in the title race.

UFC 325 fight card, results

• Alexander Volkanovski (c) def. Diego Lopes via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45)
• Benoit Saint Denis def. Dan Hooker via second-round TKO (punches)
• Mauricio Ruffy def. Rafael Fiziev via second-round TKO (punches)
• Tallison Teixeira def. Tai Tuivasa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Quillan Salkilld def. Jamie Mullarkey via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
• Complete UFC 325 fight card with all preliminary bouts

[Jan 31, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Volkanovski beat Lopes by even more dominant margins in their rematch.

[Jan 31, 2026 at 11:57 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Heading into the final round, Lopes' team urged him to be aggressive. Unfortunately, Lopes appeared to hurt his foot after throwing a kick in the early moments. Volkanovski shot a single leg. Lopes wrapped the neck for a guillotine, forcing Volkanovski to stand up. Lopes threw a knee, but Volkanovski blocked it. Volkanovski attempted another takedown against the fence. Lopes did well to separate Volk's hands and switch positions. Lopes secured a takedown and took the back. Volkanovski stood up with Lopes hanging off his back. The champ eventually broke free as Lopes tried to get the fight to the ground. Volklanovski reversed position against the fence. Lopes threatened a kimura to sweep Volklanovski, and started hunting an armbar in the transition. Lopes appeared to have the armbar for a moment, but the champ slipped free. Volk settled into an awkward position sitting on Lopes' chest, taking a moment to pander to the crowd. Both men threw ground elbows until the buzzer. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Volkanovski (50-45 Volkanovski overall)

[Jan 31, 2026 at 11:51 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Lopes landed a body kick before feinting a takedown. Both men trade leg kicks. Volk stepped off the center line and threw a nice right hand. Volkanovski landed a piston right hand, followed by a tight left hook. Lopes scored two leg kicks, followed by a cross. The challenger landed a solid two-punch combo. Volk cooked with the jab. Volkanovski fed Lopes a hard right hook, but the challenger ate it easily. Lopes suffered an inadvertent groin strike that halted the fight. Both men land in a brief brawl. This is one of those fights close enough to be a narrow decision or a clean sweep. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Volkanovski (40-36 Volkanovski overall)

[Jan 31, 2026 at 11:45 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Lopes and Volkanovski shared a friendly laugh as Lopes tried to cut off Volk's escape routes. Lopes landed two body jabs. The challenger landed a leg kick before throwing another body jab. Volkanovski with a jab up top. Lopes landed a nice elbow over Volkanovski's guard in the clinch. The champ caught Lopes with two big right hands coming in, then attempted two takedowns to keep him guessing. Volk landed a beautiful one-two. Lopes replied with a body kick. Volkanovski landed two more jabs. Volk blitzed forward and got dropped with a sneaky right hook. It was a flash knockdown, and Volk immediately bounced to his feet. Considering how well Volkanovski recovered, I'm inclined to give it to the champ. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Volkanovski (30-27 Volkanovski)

[Jan 31, 2026 at 11:38 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Lopes started the round by taking center. Volkanovski with inside leg kicks. Lopes responded with a nice low kick, as both men started trading them back-and-forth. Lopes is beginning to press forward more confidently. He landed a decent right hand at the end of a combo. Volkanovski landed a solid right hook when Lopes tried throwing down. Lopes landed an uppercut, and Volkanovski countered with a left hook. The champ pressed forward and landed a nice combo. Lopes cut Volkanovski under the right eye with a counter punch. Lopes ate a solid punch and moved forward. Volkanovski punctuated his punch with a leg kick before retreating under fire. Volk has another solid connection. Lopes shot for a takedown. Volkanovski jumped a guillotine choke against Lopes, who is the primary jiu-jitsu coach for former UFC women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso. Lopes escaped and attempted to take the back, but the buzzer sounded. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Volkanovski (20-18 Volkanovski overall)

[Jan 31, 2026 at 11:32 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Loud "Volkanovski" chants reigned through the venue. Volkanovski committed early to the movement that helped him the first time. The champ continuously switched stances and stayed on his pedal. Lopes' first noticeable adjustment from the first fight was a commitment to leg kicks. Volkanovski attempted a takedown. Lopes stuffed it and threw a hard right hand. Volkanovski landed a nice jab, then shot for a takedown. The champ couldn't complete it, settling for fence control. Volkanovski landed a few small strikes against the fence, plus a left hook on the break. Lopes landed a hard right punch. Lopes did a better job of not chasing the champion. He didn't always succeed in cutting off the cage, but he was more willing to let Volkanovski come to him. A close round. Unofficial scorecard: 10-9 Volkanovski

[Jan 31, 2026 at 11:20 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

The main event walks are underway. UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski has his second consecutive title fight against Lopes. The challenger took a detour to knock out Jean Silva between his title fights. Lopes has many physical advantages, but has he covered enough of the technical gap between him and the champion to pull off a small upset?

[Jan 31, 2026 at 11:02 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Saint Denis immediately returned to his pressure style. Saint Denis got Hooker to the ground early but Hooker's scrambles kept him from the danger zone. Hooker made a critical mistake not separating, and wound up on the bottom. Saint Denis landed in the early stages of a mounted triangle. Instead of hunting the submission, Saint Denis trapped Hooker's arm and landed numerous hard elbows. Hooker eventually got his arm back. Saint Denis took the opportunity to set up an arm triangle. It looked relatively tight, but Hooker had enough space and grit to stay alive. Saint Denis eventually gave up on the choke and reigned down more elbows. Saint Denis briefly hunted the submission again before commiting to strikes. Saint Denis postured up, dropping hellacious elbows that busted Hooker open. Referee Herb Dean gave Hooker ample time to fight back; however, Hooker only covered up from dozens of strikes.

[Jan 31, 2026 at 10:57 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Saint Denis got to his typical fast start. Hooker, an experience elite lightweight, wasn't deterred by the pressure. He nearly got Saint Denis' slacking defensively, and threatened his trademark guillotine choke when the Frenchman shot. Hooker invested early in body kicks, and they took an immediate toll on the rising contender. Saint Denis repeatedly looked troubled by the body work, unable to hide its effect. Saint Denis landed a thrilling hip toss, practically dropping Hooker on his head. From there, he landed ample ground strikes. Hooker eventually got to his feet. Hooker threw a knee that was centimers from landing flush. A competitive first round.

[Jan 31, 2026 at 10:45 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

The co-main event is sure to be a barnburner as all-action lightweights Saint Denis and Hooker collide.