Alexander Volkanovski seems to be to make the primary protection of his second reign as featherweight champion in the principle occasion of Saturday’s UFC 325. Sanding throughout from Volkanovski would be the man he defeated to win the vacant title, Diego Lopes.
The championship rematch headlines a stable card of fights from Sydney, Australia. UFC 325 additionally marks the second occasion in the landmark seven-year media rights deal between UFC and Paramount Skydance and can, as with all UFC playing cards shifting ahead, stream dwell on Paramount+ for simply the price of a normal subscription.
Sign up for Paramount+ and watch UFC 325 dwell on Saturday night time for no further charge — each UFC numbered occasion and UFC Fight Night is included with the worth of your subscription! Plans begin as little as $8.99/month or $89.99/12 months!
There’s enjoyable motion fights to be discovered throughout this occasion. Rafael Fiziev and Mauricio Ruffy are certain to ship the products after they conflict in a light-weight contest on the principle card. Plus, fan favourite Tai Tuivasa is all the time keen to put all of it on the road when he enters the Octagon. He will get a stiff check from rising contender Tallison Teixeira. And the principle card opener may give us one other spotlight to recollect when Quillan Salkilld returns to tackle veteran Jamie Mullarkey. Salkilld scored a pair of unimaginable knockouts in 2025 that left followers speechless, together with a head kick of Nasrat Haqparast that earn CBS Sports’ KO of the Year.
Bet UFC 325 at DraftKings Sportsbook, the place new customers get $300 in bonus bets with a successful $5 wager:
With a lot occurring on Saturday night time, let’s look nearer on the full fight card with the newest odds earlier than we get to our employees predictions and picks for the PPV portion of the festivities that you may think about earlier than hitting the sportsbooks.
UFC 325: What can change for Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes in a rematch simply 9 months later
Brian Campbell
UFC 325 fight card, odds
Odds by way of DraftKings Sportsbook (as of Jan. 29)
- Alexander Volkanovski (c) -148 vs. Diego Lopes +124, featherweight title
- Benoit Saint Denis -310 vs. Dan Hooker +250, lightweights
- Rafael Fiziev -120 vs. Mauricio Ruffy +100, lightweights
- Tallison Teixeira -345 vs. Tai Tuivasa +275, heavyweights
- Quillan Salkilld -1050 vs. Jamie Mullarkey +675, lightweights
- Billy Elekana -250 vs. Junior Tafa +205, mild heavyweights
- Cam Rowston -360 vs. Cody Brundage +285, middleweights
- Jacob Malkoun -162 vs. Torrez Finney, +136 middleweights
- Jonathan Micallef -135 vs. Oban Elliott +114, welterweights
- Yizha -205 vs. Kaan Olfi +170, featherweights
- Dom Mar Fan -148 vs. Sangwook Kim +124, lightweights
- Sebastian Szalay -135 vs. Keiichiro Nakamura +114, featherweights
- Sulangrangbo -250 vs. Lawrence Liu +205, bantamweights
UFC 325 predictions, picks
With such a large most important occasion on faucet, the crew at CBS Sports went forward with predictions and picks for the principle card from Brian Campbell, Brent Brookhouse, Shakiel Mahjouri, Michael Mormile and Brandon Wise.
| Volkanovski vs. Lopes | Lopes | Volkanovski | Volkanovski | Volkanovski | Volkanovski |
| Hooker vs. Saint Denis | Saint Denis | Saint Denis | Saint Denis | Saint Denis | Saint Denis |
| Fiziev vs. Ruffy | Ruffy | Fiziev | Fiziev | Fiziev | Fiziev |
| Teixeira vs. Tuivasa | Tuivasa | Teixeira | Tuivasa | Teixeira | Teixeira |
| Salkilld vs. Mullarkey | Salkilld | Salkilld | Salkilld | Salkilld | Salkilld |
| Records thus far | 2-3 | 4-1 | 4-1 | 3-2 | 2-3 |
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes predictions
Campbell: Volkanovski appeared to show again the clock final April when he captured the vacant title by outpointing Lopes. But an sincere Lopes, who nonetheless managed to drop Volkanovski, admitted after the fight that he did not comply with his nook’s gameplan and obtained caught merely following his opponent round in hopes of a knockout. Expect a extra seasoned and extra harmful Lopes in the rematch. Not solely did he depend on grappling and the traps he set with putting to finally end Jean Silva final September, he has been working relentlessly on rounding out his sport. If Lopes does a greater job slicing off the cage and utilizing each his dimension and the specter of the takedown to make the 37-year-old Volkanovski really feel his age, this needs to be a really completely different fight. And whereas Volkanovski’s chin did maintain up throughout their first fight regardless of having been recent off of back-to-back knockout losses, his time on the high could also be working out. Lopes by way of TKO3
Brookhouse: It’s arduous to consider that this fight performs out a lot in a different way than the primary fight except Volkanovski has aged significantly in the previous 12 months. Yes, 37 is previous for a fighter, particularly a featherweight, however Volkanovski is a uniquely expert tactician in his means to not solely put together, however execute a gameplan. I do not see any cause to assume that losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria sign a fighter is “done” at an elite degree, merely that he bumped into two of the very best fighters on the planet in their prime. Lopes does not have a dependable takedown sport, which signifies that this can be a putting battle, and Volkanovski is nice at working angles and discovering timing. Yes, Lopes did harm Volkanovski in the primary fight, however that got here in between Volkanovski clearly controlling the remainder of the motion. I merely do not consider that Lopes can out-gameplan and outexecute Volkanovski. Volkanovski by way of UD
Mahjouri: If this fight have been a 12 months from now, I’d choose Lopes in a heartbeat. The challenger has each bodily benefit over the champ: top, attain, sturdiness, and energy. Lopes’ inexperience value him the primary fight. Volkanovski showcased why he is a featherweight GOAT. He managed the lead outdoors foot positioning, feinted brilliantly, and considerably outstruck Lopes. The champ pitched a near-perfect sport, but nonetheless gave up one or two rounds to Lopes’ energy. That’s the concern right here. Lopes’ bodily items will turn out to be a much bigger issue as he narrows the technical gaps. The query is whether or not Lopes can cowl sufficient distance in 9 months to beat Volkanovski. It shall be a a lot nearer second fight, however Volkanovski ought to have sufficient in the tank to win a slender resolution. Volkanovski by way of UD
Mormile: Volkanovski UD
Wise: Volkanovski by way of UD
Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint Denis predictions
Campbell: Reformed following a pair of TKO defeats, Saint Denis has seemed like a totally completely different fighter in three walks to the Octagon below the tutelage of recent coach Nicholas Ott, which produced a trio of stoppage wins in 2025. The job at hand in opposition to Hooker on Saturday shall be for ‘BSD’ to disregard the urge to throw warning to the wind off the beginning and get right into a full-blown slugfest. Saint Denis is at his finest when he balances endurance and grappling with the specter of his highly effective putting. And contemplating Hooker was completed in lower than two rounds by Arman Tsarukyan simply two months in the past, this may very well be the right catapult for the French “God of War” to attain a scientific stoppage victory and enter the highest 5 at 155 kilos. Hooker is all the time sport for battle, however his one-dimensional type has caught up with him on the elite degree. Saint Denis by way of KO2
Brookhouse: Saint Denis by way of SUB2
Mahjouri: Hooker has no designs on altering his type. He’s hell-bent on motion, and it will value him in opposition to on Saturday. Neither man has excellent sturdiness, however Hooker has extra put on and tear. That’s regarding in opposition to Saint Denis, the youthful and arguably extra highly effective fighter. Saint Denis seems to be revitalized working with high middleweight contender Nassourine Imavov. The French particular forces soldier has the pure items and evolving skillset to make quick work of Hooker. It’s crucial, nevertheless, that he does not abandon his protection. Hooker can nonetheless crack and can catch Saint Denis if he isn’t cautious. Saint Denis by way of KO2
Mormile: Saint Denis by way of submission
Wise: Saint Denis by way of TKO3
Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy predictions
Campbell: Urgency is the secret in this high 15 matchup at light-weight as each fighters can desperately use an enormous win to additional propel themselves again into competition. Ruffy, who suffered a humbling submission defeat by the hands of Saint Denis final September in a fight that uncovered his lack of a grappling sport, moved from the Fighting Nerds camp in Brazil to coach with Volkanovski in Australia. Fiziev, in the meantime, who snapped a three-fight shedding skid final June when he took a choice from Ignacio Bahamondes, is lastly wholesome and trying to put a pair of resolution defeats to new interim champion Justin Gaethje behind him. That means this fight has all of the potential to be a enjoyable putting match over three rounds and one which could be very evenly contested. If Ruffy can add the specter of wrestling, it may very well be the distinction. Ruffy by way of UD
Brookhouse: If anybody can add wrestling threats to this fight, it is Fiziev. Ruffy has by no means scored a takedown in the UFC and he was taken down 3 times whereas being dominated by Saint Denis. Fiziev, in the meantime, has scored six takedowns in his two most up-to-date fights, together with two in opposition to Justin Gaethje. In a reasonably even battle of strikers, although Ruffy could also be a bit extra dynamic in his angles and shot choice, one fighter having the sting in grappling is sufficient to tilt the fight on paper. While both man may catch the opposite on the ft, Fiziev’s new confidence in his wrestling provides me some consolation in siding with him. Fiziev by way of UD
Mahjouri: This may be an much more compelling motion fight than the co-main occasion. Fiziev and Ruffy are on the cusp of getting into the light-weight elite. Fiziev is a first-class Muay Thai striker with an bettering wrestling sport. Ruffy, a textbook KO artist, just lately migrated from the Fighting Nerds to featherweight champ Volkanovski’s camp. I used to be ready to rely Fiziev out, however I feel he is a sufferer of unhealthy luck. His three UFC losses are a majority resolution to Justin Gaethje, a freak knee damage in opposition to Mateusz Gamrot and a detailed rematch in opposition to Gaethje, which he took on two weeks’ discover after a year-and-a-half layoff from the aforementioned damage. Fiziev confirmed indicators of life in a bounce-back win in opposition to Ignacio Bahamondes, complementing his putting with newfound wrestling. Ruffy would possibly revolutionize himself with Team Volkanovski, however I’ll have to see the outcomes earlier than assessing his future. Fiziev by way of UD
Mormile: Fiziev by way of UD
Wise: Fiziev by way of UD
Who wins Volkanovski vs. Lopes, and the way precisely does the fight finish? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and evaluation from the incomparable skilled who’s up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since May 19, 2018, and discover out.
