Alexander Volkanovski defeated Diego Lopez by unanimous decision in Australia to defend his UFC featherweight title.
Published February 1, 2026
In front of a deafening Sydney crowd, Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski survived Diego Lopez’s fifth-round rally attempt in their rematch at UFC 325, winning again by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45).
Similar to their first fight at UFC 314 last April, Lopez (27-8 MMA, 6-3 MMA, MMA) didn’t make it easy for Volkanovski (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC) as he took Volkanovski’s best shots and landed some of his own in the first three rounds Sunday. However, Volkanovski retaliated with adjustments throughout, including using the clinch to cut off Lopez’s cage room.
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Volkanovski’s victory marked the first title defense of his second reign and ushered in an era of revitalization for the featherweight division.
But for Volkanovski, winning his first match on home soil in almost three years, with the full support of the Australian crowd, felt different.
“I didn’t want to stand there for 25 minutes with (Lopez), but we got the job done,” Volkanovski said.
Volkanovski said he is excited to return to the Octagon soon and will “see what happens next” with his team.
Lopez was humbled by the loss, but had a clear reaction to the one judge who ruled in Volkanovski’s favor in all five rounds.
“I think Volkanovski is one of the best players in this division and has been for this long,” the Brazilian said.
Lopez called this part of the journey “step-by-step” as he prepares for an uncertain next fight after a second failed championship match against a future Hall of Famer.
Saint-Denis dominates Hooker
Meanwhile, French lightweight Benoît Saint-Denis easily defeated New Zealand’s Dan Hooker by a second-round technical knockout (TKO) with punches from the mounted position in the co-main event of the night.
Saint-Denis (17-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) has solidified his position to remain in title contention this year with four straight wins, while Hooker (24-14 MMA, 14-10 UFC) has dropped back-to-back fights and will continue to go back to square one.
A devastating right hand from lightweight Mauricio Ruffy of Brazil marked the beginning of the end in a high-stakes bout with Azerbaijan’s Rafael Fiziyev. Luffy (13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) bounced back from his loss to Saint-Denis to earn his eighth win in his past nine fights with a TKO victory with 30 seconds left in the second round.
Fiziev (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) has lost four of his last five fights since his six-fight winning streak ended in March 2023.
The UFC has no numbered events scheduled for February, with UFC 326 scheduled for March 7 in Las Vegas. The promotion returns to Las Vegas next Saturday for the first UFC Fight Night event of the year presented by Meta APEX (formerly UFC APEX).
