UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 results, analysis

UFC 325 took place Saturday night at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski defeated Diego Lopes via unanimous decision to retain the featherweight title. theScore's Nick Baldwin provided live results and analysis throughout the card.

📌 Jump to: Saint Denis' TKO | Ruffy's TKO | Teixeira's UD | Salkilld's submission | Prelims | Early prelims

Volkanovski reigns Down Under

Alexander Volkanovski cruised past Diego Lopes, earning a unanimous decision victory to retain the featherweight championship. The judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45 in his favor.

For more, tap here.

Volkanovski's walkout is an all-timer

Who ya got, Volkanovski or Lopes?

Volkanovski closed as a -160 betting favorite over Lopes (-140) on theScore Bet. Who are you picking to win the main event?

Saint Denis destroys Hooker

Benoit Saint Denis battered Dan Hooker in the co-main event, earning a TKO finish at the 4:45 mark of the second round.

After a competitive first round, Saint Denis used his ground game to dominate Hooker in the second stanza. The Frenchman got on top, attempted multiple submissions, and turned Hooker's face into a bloody mess with vicious ground-and-pound. Referee Herb Dean gave Hooker every opportunity to stay in the fight but eventually waved it off.

Saint Denis, the No. 8-ranked lightweight, will move closer to the top five after taking out No. 6 Hooker. The 30-year-old is now riding a four-fight winning streak.

Hooker, a 35-year-old New Zealander, has lost two in a row.

👉 Check out all the odds available for UFC 325 on theScore Bet here

Ruffy makes statement with TKO of Fiziev

Mauricio Ruffy earned the biggest win of his career, finishing Rafael Fiziev via TKO at the 4:30 mark of the second round in a lightweight bout.

Ruffy loaded up on a right hand that rocked Fiziev and then sat him down with a follow-up punch. Fiziev tried to escape danger, but Ruffy unleashed ground-and-pound to force the referee to intervene.

With the victory, Ruffy bounced back from a submission loss to Benoit Saint Denis at UFC Paris last September. The 29-year-old Brazilian has won four of five fights in the promotion.

Fiziev, who was coming off a decision win over Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Baku last June, is 1-4 in his last five outings.

Ruffy and Fiziev were ranked No. 14 and No. 9 in the 155-pound division coming in, respectively.

Teixeira holds off Tuivasa to win decision

Tallison Teixeira defeated Tai Tuivasa in a back-and-forth heavyweight bout, earning a unanimous decision victory. All three judges scored the fight 29-28 in his favor.

Teixeira outgrappled Tuivasa in the first two rounds but had to survive a late rally from Tuivasa to secure the judges' nod. In the third round, Tuivasa charged forward and landed heavy punches, but he was unable to find the knockout. Both men were visibly exhausted by the end of the fight.

Teixeira, a 26-year-old Brazilian, went the distance for the first time in his MMA career. He improved to 9-1 as a professional and 2-1 in the UFC.

Tuivasa, who returned to the Octagon for the first time since August 2024, suffered his sixth loss in a row.

Salkilld makes quick work of Mullarkey

Quillan Salkilld continued his rise in the lightweight division with a submission win over Jamie Mullarkey. Salkilld secured a takedown and then tapped Mullarkey out with a rear-naked choke at the 3:02 mark of the first round.

The 26-year-old Perth, Australia, native is now riding an 11-fight winning streak. He's earned first-round finishes in three of his past four Octagon appearances.

Salkilld said he wants a top-15 opponent next.

Volkanovski, Lopes arrive for main event

Elekana taps out Tafa

Billy Elekana survived heavy punches on the feet to submit Junior Tafa with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their light heavyweight bout.

After stinging Tafa with a big shot of his own, Elekana got the fight to the ground and locked up the submission shortly thereafter, forcing the tap at the 3:18 mark of the round.

Elekana, a 30-year-old American, is now 3-1 in the Octagon after making his debut last January. Tafa, 29, fell to 2-5 in the promotion.

Rowston delivers ground-and-pound finish

Middleweight up-and-comer Cam Rowston got the job done in front of his hometown crowd, pounding out Cody Brundage on the ground. The TKO finish came at the 4:08 mark of the second round.

Rowston, a 31-year-old born in Sydney, improved to 2-0 in the Octagon with the victory.

Malkoun hands Finney 1st loss

Jacob Malkoun dominated Torrez Finney in a middleweight bout, winning by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26). Finney suffered the first loss of his career, falling to 11-1 as a pro.

Malkoun controlled the distance on the feet and peppered Finney with punches throughout the fight. He scored a knockdown in the second round. Malkoun, 30, lifted his pro record to 9-3.

Micallef's nasty submission kicks off prelims

Welterweight prospect Jonathan Micallef put Oban Elliott to sleep in the opening preliminary bout, scoring a rear-naked choke finish at the 3:31 mark of the second round.

Micallef, a 26-year-old Australian, improved to 2-0 in the UFC and 9-0 as a professional. He said after the win he wants to face Neil Magny next.

Full UFC 325 fight card

Volkanovski is defending the featherweight championship for the first time since reclaiming it last year. The 37-year-old Australian defeated Lopes by unanimous decision at UFC 314 last April to become the second-ever two-time featherweight champion in UFC history. Volkanovski, one of the greatest fighters of all time, rebounded from back-to-back losses against Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev.

Lopes gets a second crack at the title after scoring a second-round knockout of Jean Silva in the Noche UFC main event last September. The No. 2-ranked contender is 6-1 in his last seven Octagon appearances and has beaten the likes of Silva, Brian Ortega, and Dan Ige.

In the co-main event, Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint Denis will square off in a lightweight bout.

Here's a look at the rest of the UFC 325 fight card:

Main card (Paramount+ at 9 p.m. ET)

• Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes
• Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint Denis
• Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy
• Tai Tuivasa vs. Tallison Teixeira
• Quillan Salkilld vs. Jamie Mullarkey

Preliminary card (Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET)

• Junior Tafa vs. Billy Elekana
• Cam Rowston vs. Cody Brundage
• Jacob Malkoun vs. Torrez Finney
• Jonathan Micallef vs. Oban Elliott

'Road to UFC' winners crowned on early prelims

The early preliminary card featured the "Road to UFC" finals. Keiichiro Nakamura scored a come-from-behind TKO of Sebastian Szalay, landing a vicious knee to win the featherweight title at the 3:48 mark of the third round. Lawrence Lui took a split decision over Sulangrangbo at bantamweight and Dom Mar Fan defeated Kim Sangwook by unanimous decision at lightweight.

Also on the early prelims, featherweight Kaan Ofli earned a majority decision over Yizha in an official UFC bout.