Alexander Volkanovski is running it back with Diego Lopes.
On Thursday, UFC President Dana White announced on Instagram Live that Volkanovski will defend his title against Lopes in a rematch that headlines UFC 325, which takes place in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 31 (Feb. 1 local time).
Volkanovski defeated Lopes at UFC 314 this past April to capture a vacant title and begin his second reign as featherweight champion. The title was vacated by Ilia Topuria in anticipation of a move to lightweight, and Topuria successfully became champion at 155 pounds with a stunning knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
Following his loss to Volkanovski, Lopes quickly returned to the win column with a second-round knockout of Jean Silva in the main event of Noche UFC 3, handing Silva his first UFC loss and snapping his 13-fight win streak.
Lopes lost a competitive decision to Volkanovski in their first encounter, but the timing of the rematch is strange given that there are two undefeated contenders waiting in the wings: Movsar Evloev (19-0), who has not competed in 2025 and missed a chunk of time due to injury, and Lerone Murphy (16-0-1), who is coming off of a spectacular first-round finish of former Bellator standout Aaron Pico.
Murphy was rumored to be Volkanovski’s next challenger, with Volkanovski saying at one point that the matchup was “a no-brainer,” but it appears he will either have to wait or fight again with Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 now official.
Shortly after the announcement, Murphy shared his disappointment on social media:
“Missing the opportunity to fight one of featherweight’s GOATs is what hurts me the most,” Murphy wrote. “It’s not about who’s the best anymore. It’s about who’s most popular.”
