UFC 325 Preview
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is confident that we will overcome Diego Lopes when they face each other at UFC 325 in Sydney on January 31.
The eagerly awaited rematch between the two fighters has already generated plenty of activity in the betting industry, with punters eager to wager on the bout.
This has had a knock-on effect on other betting verticals, with some operators reporting an uptick in new customers since the fight was confirmed.
Bettors have increasingly explored the options at West Virginia online casinos and across other regions in the hope of boosting their bankroll.
The oddsmakers rate Volkanovski as the favourite to defend the title, despite many mixed martial arts (MMA) experts predicting a different outcome.
There has been widespread talk that the 37-year-old could retire from the sport, but he says he will only hang up his gloves if he suffers a one-sided defeat.
“I don’t know where that (retirement talk) came from exactly,” Volkanovski told The Ariel Helwani Show. “Just whether people are going off what I say, I’ve mentioned, ‘How many more do I have?’
“If I was to get beaten up, am I going to come back to fight? No. But that’s not my plans. Unless some things go horrendously wrong, I plan on going back out there.”
The Lopes bout will be Volkanovski’s first title defence on home soil. He is rated as Australia’s greatest ever exponent of MMA and is a fan favourite.
He outclassed Lopes in their first meeting last April, picking apart a fighter who many people believe is capable of winning the featherweight title.
Lopes, who earned a second shot at the title with a stoppage victory over Jean Silva in September, insists he learned a lot from his first fight against Volkanovski.
However, he admits that fighting on ‘enemy territory’ makes his task more difficult and has predicted he will need a submission or knockout to emerge victorious.
“This time now, I think it’s different,” Lopes said. “I don’t have the pressure. The first time I fought him, I only tried to finish him with one big punch. I forgot many things in [that] fight. And I forgot the best thing in my life – enjoy the moment.
“If the people see the video before the fight, I’m so serious. The people [who] know me, I’m never serious. I always smile – I’m always joking with different people. So, this time, I’ll just enjoy the moment. When I enjoy the moment, I’m the most dangerous guy in the division.”
Elsewhere on the card, the lightweight clash between Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint Denis could potentially earn ‘Fight of the Night’ status.
Hookers is bidding to bounce back from a defeat against Arman Tsarukyan last November, while Saint Denis recorded three consecutive finishes during 2025.
Main card
Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes – Featherweight
Dan Hooker vs Benoit Saint Denis – Lightweight
Rafael Fiziev vs Mauricio Ruffy – Lightweight
Tai Tuivasa vs Tallison Teixeira – Heavyweight
Jimmy Crute vs Dustin Jacoby – Light Heavyweight
Preliminary card
Junior Tafa vs Billy Elekana – Light Heavyweight
Cameron Rowston vs Cody Brundage – Middleweight
Jacob Malkoun vs Torrez Finney – Middleweight
Early preliminary card
Jonathan Micallef vs Oban Elliott – Welterweight
Kaan Ofli vs Yi Zha – Featherweight
Kim Sang-wook vs Dom Mar Fan – Lightweight
Keiichiro Nakamura vs Sebastian Szalay – Featherweight
Sulang Rangbo vs Lawrence Lui – Bantamweight
Aaron Tau vs Namsrai Batbayar – Flyweight