UFC 325: Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes 2 set after clean weigh-ins in Sydney

UFC 325 arrives this weekend with a championship rematch atop the bill and a card built to move divisions, not just entertain. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Diego Lopes both made weight Friday in Sydney, locking in their second meeting and turning Saturday night into a high-stakes test of whether Lopes can solve the veteran champion on a bigger stage.

The event lands at a time when the featherweight picture is hungry for clarity, and the co-main brings its own urgency with ranked lightweights aiming to push into title contention. For fans tracking tennis scores-style live updates across sports, this one is set up for a long night: three broadcast windows, a stacked undercard, and a main event that could reshape the top of 145.

UFC 325 start time and how to watch

The ufc 325 start time is structured in three blocks, with the show beginning in the early evening in the U.S. and running late into Saturday night.

UFC 325 streams in the U.S. on Paramount+ and is being promoted as a full-platform event rather than a traditional pay-per-view. The timeline below is in ET:

The venue is Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, and the main card is expected to run until around midnight ET depending on fight lengths and finishes.

Volkanovski vs Lopes 2: title fight with bad blood simmering

The main event is a featherweight title fight: Volkanovski vs diego lopes in a rematch that has felt inevitable since their first meeting. Volkanovski won the initial bout by decision, and the sequel has carried extra edge through fight-week faceoffs and the pressure of fighting in Australia with the belt on the line.

At the weigh-ins, Volkanovski came in at 144.5 pounds, and Lopes hit the 145-pound limit, removing the last logistical question and putting the focus back on style. Volkanovski’s game has long been built on pace, feints, and layered adjustments. Lopes has surged by forcing chaos—sharp finishing instincts, aggressive exchanges, and an ability to turn small openings into big momentum.

The tactical hinge is whether Lopes can create enough high-danger moments to win rounds outright, or whether Volkanovski can keep the fight living in the champion’s preferred rhythm: controlled pressure, clean counters, and steady point accumulation.

UFC 325 fight card: co-main and main card matchups to know

The ufc 325 fight card has depth across the top, and the co-main is designed to move the lightweight queue.

Dan Hooker meets Benoît Saint Denis in a five-round co-main at 155 pounds, pairing Hooker’s striking volume and toughness with Saint Denis’ grappling-heavy pressure. It’s the kind of matchup that can turn into a pace war quickly: Hooker wants space and timing; Saint Denis wants contact and control.

The rest of the main card includes:

• Rafael Fiziev vs Mauricio Ruffy at lightweight, a fight built for speed, kicks, and sudden momentum swings.

• Tai Tuivasa vs Tallison Teixeira at heavyweight, a collision of power where one clean shot can erase the scorecards.

• Quillan Salkilld vs Jamie Mullarkey, a matchup that adds a local-energy jolt and potential finishing upside.

Beyond the main card, the prelims and early prelims feature multiple “Road to UFC” finals and developing prospects—exactly the type of bouts that can quietly produce the night’s breakout performance.

Weigh-ins: everyone hits the mark, but one bout falls apart

Most of the card made it to fight night without drama: all fighters on the main card hit their marks, and the co-main also weighed in successfully.

The exception came in a Road to UFC flyweight final. Aaron Tau’s weigh-in drew scrutiny and ended with a re-weigh that showed him well over the limit. The bout was subsequently canceled, a rare late-week change that shifts the pacing of the early card and removes a high-stakes tournament final from the lineup.

For viewers, the practical effect is simple: the night is now one fight shorter, and the broadcast windows may move slightly faster than originally expected.

What’s at stake for featherweight after Saturday

For Volkanovski, this is about reaffirming control of the division and shutting down the idea that the gap has closed. Another defense would strengthen his grip on the belt and keep contenders chasing him on his timeline.

For Lopes, the stakes are direct: win the rematch and he’s champion—lose and he risks sliding into the talented-but-unsolved category, where “dangerous” isn’t enough without the belt. The rematch framing also raises the pressure to show evolution. In a second meeting, improvements (or lack of them) are hard to hide.

Either way, UFC 325 is positioned to leave a clear message by the end of Saturday night: whether the featherweight throne remains a champion’s domain or becomes a launchpad for a new era.

Sources consulted: UFC; ESPN; MMA Fighting; CBS News; Forbes; Yahoo Sports