Alexander Volkanovski Dominates Diego Lopes, Retains Featherweight Title
Volkanovski beat Diego Lopes by unanimous decision at UFC 325 in Sydney, with judges scoring 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46 on Jan. 31, 2026.
Al JazeeraUFC 325: Volkanovski dominates Lopes, defends featherweight title
Associated PressAlexander Volkanovski dominates Diego Lopes for unanimous decision win at UFC 325 in Australia
Rolling StoneHow to Watch UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 Online With Paramount+
CBS NewsUFC 325 fights go down tomorrow night. See when it starts, who's on the card and where to watch.
Overview
Alexander Volkanovski defeated Diego Lopes by unanimous decision at UFC 325 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Jan. 31, 2026, with official judges' scorecards reading 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46, according to the athletic commission's results.
The victory was Volkanovski's first title defense during his second featherweight reign and tied him with Jose Aldo for the most UFC featherweight title fight wins at eight, underscoring his dominance of the division.
Alexander Volkanovski said in a post-fight interview that he 'didn't want to stand for 25 minutes' but was pleased with the win and that he and his team will 'see what's next.'
In the co-main event Benoit Saint-Denis scored a technical knockout of Dan Hooker at 4:45 of the second round, Mauricio Ruffy defeated Rafael Fiziev by TKO at 4:30 of the second round, Tallison Teixeira earned a unanimous decision over Tai Tuivasa, and Quillan Salkilld submitted Jamie Mullarkey in the first round.
UFC has scheduled UFC 326 for March 7, 2026, in Las Vegas, and Volkanovski said he will discuss future opponents with his team, signaling potential matchups and title defenses to come according to the UFC schedule.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame UFC 325 with upbeat, promotional language that emphasizes excitement, home‑crowd advantage and streaming convenience. Editorial choices—loaded terms like 'most anticipated', 'promises fireworks' and 'historic'—plus focus on Paramount+/CBS access privilege UFC's success, while schedule facts and quotes remain source content.