UFC 325: What Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes can change in rematch

Nine months after edging out Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title, Alexander Volkanovski will make the first defense of his second title Saturday in a rematch headlining UFC 325 in Sydney, Australia.

The biggest narrative surrounding the rematch, which was booked just months after Lopes bounced back to finish Jean Silva in a thrilling slugfest headlining Noche UFC in September, is whether Lopes (27-7) can improve on his performance at UFC 314 when he dropped and twice injured Volkanovski (27-4) but couldn’t put him away in a clear decision loss.

Although Lopes even getting the immediate rematch was somewhat controversial in the eyes of fans given that he edged out top contenders Movsar Evloev (who beat him in 2023) and Lerone Murphy, the 31-year-old Brazilian said all the right things about what he learned from his loss to Volkanovski.

“When I look back on the first fight, I know I had some great moments but I’m grateful because the first fight with Volk taught me a lot of different things. [about] my life and my career,” Lopes told CBS Sports on Wednesday. “I fixed those things and now I’m a completely different fighter than the first fight. Now I have experience [of] I fought five rounds and now I have the experience of being in the main event with the cameras behind me. Nothing is new to me now so I have no pressure.”

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Lopes, who moved to Mexico at the age of 19 to become a jiu-jitsu instructor and where he has now settled at Lobo Gym in Guadalajara, now readily admits that the moment was too big for him nine months ago and that it forced him to give up wrestling, abandon his coaches’ game plan and methodically follow Volkanovski around the cage – without interrupting him – in search of a knockout all at once.

UFC 325 predictions, odds, best bets: Alexander Volkanovski and Benoit Saint Denis among top picks to consider

Brent Brookhouse

The simplistic nature of Lopes’ attack proved to be an easy choice for Volkanovski, who picked apart Lopes in the first round (before surviving his own knockdown in the second round) and was able to turn back the clock by reclaiming the 145-pound title he had lost a year earlier via second-round knockout to Ilia Topuria. It’s probably because Lopes made the fight so easy for Volkanovski in their first meeting that the 37-year-old legend isn’t expecting a tougher time in the rematch.

“I think there are a lot of things I can capitalize on [because] I am capable of changing things and [utilizing] a new strategy,” Volkanovski told CBS Sports on Wednesday. “Whether I want to take him down or fight at close range, I feel like I can make whatever adjustments need to be made. But for him – and this is not a fault – but what is he capable of? I hear people say he’s going to improve so much but I don’t think I saw that in his last fight, to be honest.

“How capable is he of changing? And if he tries to do that, is it going to stop him from doing what he does best? If he tries to outdo me in strategy, I think it makes it a lot harder for him. And if he plans to do that, that’s going to completely change in the middle of the first round.”

The biggest potential improvement for Lopes should come from the field. Not only does he have an excellent submission base as the longtime jiu-jitsu coach of former UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, but he’s committed to improving his wrestling game after all but dropping it against Volkanovski.

Lopes, who made several trips in 2025 to Oklahoma State University to train under former U.S. Olympic gold medalist David Taylor, showed improvements on the ground against Silva last fall when he used takedowns and superior control to dominate his compatriot in the first round by inflicting heavy damage.

“In the first fight, a lot of people asked me why I didn’t try to take [Volkanovski] “That’s because I just tried to finish him with a big punch and a big connection, but I forgot the game plan. At the weigh-in, I told my coach that maybe I would try to take him down, but [Volkanovski] was much shorter, which makes things difficult. He is also very strong physically. But this time I am calmer and more confident. Now I want to take him down, use my jiu-jitsu and become more of a mixed martial artist. »

Although Volkanovski praised the danger level of Lopes’ high-level submission game and the improvements he showed in knocking out Silva, he doesn’t expect it to be a big factor in their second fight.

“For me, bring that,” Volkanovski said. “Everyone knows my takedown defense and no matter where he takes it, I think it’s going to be a tough night for him. I just have to stop him from getting that big shot.”

It’s this great player that Volkanovski has a lot of respect for. Lopes bloodied Volkanovski’s left eye in the second round and then dropped him in the final seconds with a clubbing right. Lopes also won Round 4 on two of the three judges’ scorecards after injuring him with a right uppercut to the left eye that forced a grimacing Volkanovski to shoot for a takedown.

“We must put [Lopes’ power] because if you just look at the technique, even when he lands, it’s not even pure technique,” Volkanovski said. “It’s kind of punching out of position. He even has a weird punching style where mechanically it’s not how you would pull a punch. For example, Ilia Topuria has this perfect technique so you can understand why there is so much power behind it. But [Lopes] doesn’t even need technique and it’s just power.

“I was sore after that fight, I’ll be honest. I had stitches all over me and I was banged up. I had stitches in my mouth and obviously I couldn’t see out of my eyes during the fourth round. So, I definitely felt the hits afterward, anyway.”

Volkanovski, who hasn’t fought since his victory over Lopes, said he liked it when critics mentioned his age because it only made his victories sweeter. Lopes, meanwhile, said he hoped to bring the same type of chaos to the rematch he thrived in during his wild second round against Silva, which ended with Lopes knocking him out with a spinning back elbow.

For Volkanovski, a victory would give him a sixth featherweight title defense, putting him within one point of Jose Aldo’s UFC record for the division and further making the case for “Alexander the Great,” who beat Aldo by decision in 2019, as the greatest 145-pound fighter in history. But for Lopes, the motivation to win a world title is entirely different.

“I left my house 11 years ago and I told my mom and dad, ‘Look, I’m leaving. I’m trying to look for the best life for all of us and I promise that one day I’ll be UFC champion,'” Lopes said. “Now I have accomplished about 50 percent of all this in my life. I can [provide] the best life for my mother, father and brothers but I have one more thing and that is [to be] the best. I have this chance now. My goal is to take the belt and take a flight back to my city [of Manaus, Brazil] and take the belt and say, “Mom and Dad, here.” My promise is fulfilled.'”

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