The first high-profile title rematch of 2026 headlines UFC 325 in Sydney on Saturday. local superstar Alexander VolkanovskyJoe, who grew up an hour and a half outside Sydney, claimed the then-vacant UFC featherweight belt for the third time diego lopez At UFC 314 last April. Exactly eight months later, Lopez is back and trying to flip the script.
Lopez and Volkanovski will meet once again in a rematch that our panel of former fighters, trainers and analysts can’t agree on. Estimates were split between another Volkanovski masterclass and an opening night courtesy of Lopes.
featherweight title fight
expert takes
Volkanovski looked good in his last matchup against Lopez. Diego needs to be careful and be prepared to get knocked out in order to land shots that put Volkanovski away. I don’t think he can beat Volkanovski by submission or decision, so he’ll have to get a knockout here. To do this he has to put himself in harm’s way, and say to himself, ‘One of us is going down, and I hope it’s you.’ Ultimately, Volkanovski will be much better and better everywhere if Lopez’s plan is implemented. — dustin poirier
Volkanovski won last time, but he could not defeat Lopez. The first fight looked easy for Volkanovski, but if Lopez can maintain that again, he will be able to land better combinations. He has power that could give Volkanovski problems. Volkanovski is a gamer; He is ready to fight anyone and challenge himself. However, Lopez is not here for a challenge, he wants to hurt you. I think there will be situations in this fight where he can hurt Volkanovski. Diego would bring a torrent of violence that would eventually reach Volkanovski. — din thomas
Lopez is younger, stronger and faster than Volkanovski. I think he will make the necessary adjustments before the rematch. At times it seemed Volkanovski was close to defeat in the first fight, but he pulled himself back. The only difference now is that more time has passed, and Volkanovski is even older. In the first fight, it seemed like Lopes assumed he would catch Volkanovski with a big shot and knock him out, and when that did not happen Lopes had to reset. This time they should be more patient. I like Volkanovski’s determination, but the time between fights doesn’t help him, and it certainly doesn’t hurt Lopez. — Anthony Smith
We have seen in this sport that whenever a young, hungry fighter suffers a high-profile defeat, they come back better. The same could happen in Lopez’s case. After he lost a short-notice fight movsar evloev In 2023, we saw Lopez react to her first title fight last year by shedding tears. Volkanovski has also made a comeback after the defeat. after a knockout loss Islam Makhachev And Ilya TopuriaIt seemed like this was the beginning of the end. But Volkanovski took time off between fights and has returned as good as ever. While Diego is dangerous, Volkanovski is aware of the risks and will have the right plan to defend his title. It will be a tough fight with more adversities than the first match, but ultimately, Volkanovski will get it done. — michael chiesa
