Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2 headlines UFC 325 in Sydney

Apr 12, 2025; Miami, Florida, UNITED STATES; Alexander Volkanovski (red gloves) fights against Diego Lopes (blue gloves) during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Alexander Volkanovski will have to beat Diego Lopes again if he wants to move on to new business in his second UFC featherweight championship reign.

After claiming the vacant 145-pound belt left behind by Ilia Topuria with a unanimous decision win over Lopes (27-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 314 in April, Volkanovski (27-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) will get the same opponent for his first defense with the rematch set to headline UFC 325.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the UFC 325 main event for the Jan. 31 card at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney (Paramount+) on Thursday during halftime of the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Dallas Cowboys NFL game.

Volkanovski, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie featherweight rankings, will get the opportunity to fight on Australian soil for the first time since a February 2023 loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. He bounced back from that loss to defeat Yair Rodriguez before being knocked out by Makhachev in a rematch and losing the featherweight belt to Topuria at UFC 298 in February 2024.

After a 14-month layoff, Volkanovski, 37, returned in April to beat Lopes in a thrilling back-and-forth fight at UFC 314. He wanted to make a quicker return and has acknowledged Movsar Evloev, Lerone Murphy, Aljamain Sterling and others as potential next opponents, but ultimately the promotion decided to run it back.

No. 4-ranked Lopes' chance at a rematch isn't without some merit. Lopes, 30, bounced back from the title-fight loss to Volkanovski in September with a $100,000 bonus winning finish of Jean Silva in the Noche UFC headliner, positioning him for a chance at revenge against "The Great."

The latest UFC 325 lineup now includes: