Why UFC 325 is one of the strangest events of the year

Comment: As Volkanovski vs Lopes 2 headlines the UFC’s second show on Paramount+, there is a certain apathy around both sequels

UFC 325 occupies a strange spot in the UFC’s calendar for 2026, and indeed in the overall lifetime of the mixed martial arts giant. It is a rapid sequel to UFC 324, and it brings an unwanted sequel in its main event; on Saturday night, Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes 2 headlines the UFC's second-ever event on Paramount+. And you couldn’t blame fans for having mixed feelings, or for searching for an upside as the UFC heads Down Under.

In truth, the Paramount+ move almost feels as if it has been blown out of proportion. It is something for the UFC to shout about, and last week’s debut broadcast did bring a refreshed product from a production standpoint, but most fans just care about the fights – not the pageantry around them.

In that regard, UFC 324 did deliver, in fairness. There were plenty of stoppages en route to the main event, perhaps encouraged by the UFC’s improved bonuses (Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night doubled from $50,000, and other finishes earning $25,000). Yet in the grander debate around UFC fighter pay, these are rather minuscule improvements, again showing why it would be understandable to shrug at the wider importance of the UFC’s $7.7bn Paramount deal.

And while the main event of UFC 324 will be a fight of the year contender come December, thanks to the chaos conjured by a violent, victorious Justin Gaethje and a brave, beaten Paddy Pimblett, it still gave aroused a certain apathy. It was an interim-title fight contested without the most-deserving contender, Arman Tsarukyan, and set up a unification clash between Ilia Topuria and Gaethje – who appears doomed against the true champ.

So, it’s difficult not to temper any excitement from UFC 324, also factoring in the defeat of one of the promotion’s biggest stars in Pimblett. And any apathy may just travel the 7,720 miles from Las Vegas to Sydney.

Paddy Pimblett survived Justin Gaethje’s onslaught but lost on points at UFC 324 (Getty)

There, UFC 325 plays out on Saturday, just seven days after the UFC’s last numbered event. It will be headlined by another title fight to feature a contender who is not the most deserving in their division, as Lopes gets a second crack at Volkanovski in nine months.

Last April, an ageing Volk turned back the clock to outpoint Lopes in a professional display, bouncing back from two straight knockout losses to win the vacant featherweight belt. With that, he became a two-time champion, and his second reign was expected to be based on a specific intrigue: how he’d fare against fresh contenders. Britain’s Lerone Murphy was deserving, with Movsar Evloev also on a long win streak, and Jean Silva looked a dangerous prospect. Ex-bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling was an alternative choice, and former Bellator star Aaron Pico was about to debut in the UFC.

Instead, Australia’s Volkanovski is set for a rematch with Lopes, one that has left even Volkanovski confused. The rematch is being sold on a flash knockdown scored by Lopes in their first fight, and the Brazilian’s admirable bounce-back win over Silva, whom he stopped in scintillating fashion in September.

Alexander Volkanovski (right) outpointed Diego Lopes after five rounds in April 2025 (Getty Images)

And yes, that result pushed Silva out of the title picture and should have nudged Lopes back towards it, but not all the way back in. Furthermore, just one month earlier, Murphy had solidified his own title credentials by spoiling Pico’s UFC debut with a stunning spinning back elbow (the same tool that Lopes later used to dismantle Silva, coincidentally). Also in August, Sterling notched an important win against perennial 145lb contender Brian Ortega. Of Volkanovski’s other viable challengers, Evloev has admittedly been injured for some time.

Still, there was clarity in Murphy and Sterling boosting their own credibility, and even in Silva and Pico losing some of their own. So, while Lopes rebuilt his reputation around the same time, he shouldn’t have been the one paired with Volk next, as most agree.

Yet here we are, on the eve of UFC 325, where Lopes will go again.

Let’s be clear, though: Lopes could win on Saturday. He is a dangerous fighter, briefly troubled Volkanovski in their first clash, and Volk is another year older at 37. If Lopes, 31, were to win, would that justify the matchmaking atop UFC 325? Some might feel it would.

Lopes was visibly emotional after losing to Volkanovski, but he gets a second chance at UFC 325 (Getty Images)

It’s also worth saying that UFC 325 is a pretty strong card on paper – aside from the main event. In that way, it looks quite similar to UFC 324. Furthermore, early March brings UFC 326, an exciting card from top to bottom. Yet some fans suspect that the UFC might be applying itself to impress Paramount, and that the matchmaking may be less motivated as the year goes on, especially as the end of the pay-per-view model means there’s little incentive for the UFC to sell its product to fans.

That scepticism is also based on 2025, which was a mundane year in the UFC for the most part, based at times on underwhelming or odd match-ups.

And this is an odd moment we find ourselves in. The overall booking of the UFC’s numbered cards in early 2026 suggests a degree of drive in UFC president Dana White and his colleagues... but two of the three headline fights for those events have been uninspired. One fact remains, however: if the most-important players, the fighters, deliver in the ring, all the outside noise will be drowned out by ecstatic fans.