Vintage Volkanovski

Alexander Volkanovski def. Diego Lopes at UFC 325

Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes

In the main event of UFC 325, Alexander Volkanovski defeated Diego Lopes with a vintage performance.

Heading into the fight, expectations were similar to their prior contest.

Lopes would push the pace, seeking frantic striking exchanges, while Volkanovski would come on strong in the championship rounds, weaponizing his cardio.

However, Lopes was never able to get out of first gear.

Volkanovski was able to keep Lopes at bay, despite a four-inch height advantage.

Every time Lopes entered the pocket, he was met with brutal right hands from Volkanovski.

Lopes was never able to gain a rhythm, as Volkanovski stifled his attempts to land power punches.

Despite a brief knockdown in round three, Volkanovski pushed the pace, outlanding Lopes, while also taking him down multiple times.

It was a fairytale homecoming for the Australian native, and he now has his sights set on a dominant second featherweight title reign.

Potential challengers include a pair of undefeated contenders in Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy.

However, if Volkanovski continues to put on performances like these, fighting back against father time, we may be looking at not only the greatest 145-pound fighter but also one of the greatest fighters ever.

Rest of the Card

In the co-main event, lightweight contender Benoît Saint Denis dominated Dan Hooker.

Saint Denis was able to take Hooker down at will, brutalizing him with vicious ground strikes.

Hooker was unable to get any sort of rhythm in the stand-up, and Saint Denis punished him for his lackluster takedown defense.

In the second round, despite giving Hooker every chance, referee Herb Dean was forced to stop the contest.

Saint Denis has now emerged as a title contender, and with one more win, we may see him challenging for the 155-pound strap.

In the featured bout, Mauricio Ruffy made a statement, knocking out Rafael Fiziev.

This matchup, expected to be a striking spectacle, was fairly uneventful leading up to the second round finish.

Fiziev was able to control the pace and tempo, keeping Ruffy on the back foot, utilizing switch kicks to the body and leg kicks.

However, in the second round, Ruffy found his shot, hitting Fiziev with a straight right hand, ultimately ending the fight.

Similar to Saint Denis, Ruffy now finds himself in the upper echelon of lightweight fighters, and he officially stamped his status as a legit 155-pound contender.

The first two pay-per-views on Paramount+ have been nothing short of spectacular, and the MMA community is in for a treat for the remainder of 2026.