UFC 325 takes place tomorrow night in Sydney, Australia and we’ve got our predictions for the fights below.
Main Card
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes
Alexander Volkanovski recaptured the vacant 145lb title by beating Diego Lopes on the scorecards last year, and now the two meet again after Lopes re‑earned his shot by stopping Jean Silva.
Volkanovski’s return to the top came after a rough spell that included knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, resulting in a long layoff to recover. Concerns about Volkanovski’s durability after that were almost proved right when he was dropped late in the second round by Lopes in their first encounter, but he steadied himself and used his superior technique, distance management, fight IQ and cardio to comfortably win over five rounds. Now 37, there’s no doubt he has to be more mindful than ever about keeping his chin protected and staying defensively sound, but it feels like that isn’t too much of a departure from his natural compact, calculated style. The only question mark though is whether he can maintain that as things like his speed and reactions begin to decline.
The 31-year-old had his moments in their first fight and will have learned a lot from that ‘Fight Of The Night’ clash. And since then a spinning backfist knockout of Jean Silva has served as a confidence-boosting reminder of the threat he possesses against anyone in the division. That being said, only nine months on from their initial title clash, it does still feel like the gap in technical craftmanship and tactical discipline between him and Volkanovski is still significant. Neverthless, he remains very durable, has already proven he can go the distance with the champion, and he only needs one big moment to potentially flip the fight on its head.
It some ways it feels like Volkanovski is at the stage where he’s fighting Father Time as well as his opponent, and so the margin for error here is small. As such, if there is to be a finish, it’s very likely to be from Lopes, and will probably come out of nowhere. However, if it does go the full 25 minutes, Volkanovski’s craft and consistency should allow him to edge enough rounds to retain the belt. He’ll have to navigate his way through some challenging moments, but I’ll take Volkanovski via another hard‑earned decision.
Pick: Alexander Volkanovski wins by decision.
Dan Hooker vs. Benoît Saint Denis
Dan Hooker returns quickly after having his three‑fight winning streak snapped by Arman Tsarukyan, while Benoît Saint Denis looks to build on a strong rebound year that saw him go 3-0.
Hooker recently revealed that Tsarukyan broke his nose during their weigh-ins staredown a couple of months, which speaks to his toughness to still fight but it does feel like he would have come off second-best that night regardless. The 35-year-old Hooker is a tall, offensively-driven striker who pushes the pace with good volume and has proven to have the ability to finish with all eight limbs. Hooker thrives in the heat of the battle, but is far too willing to absorb shots, and while he’s mentally tough he’s now at the point where all the damage he’s taken over the years could quickly catch up to him. Meanwhile, Hooker does have some offensive wrestling and is a submission threat, but he has also been caught in submissions himself in the past, including last time out.
Saint Denis also built his early UFC run with an action-orientated approach, using pressure, power, durability and a finishing threat both on the feet and on the mat to string together five stoppage wins in a row. However subsequent losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano by KO and TKO suddenly halted his momentum and forced him to adjust. BSD sensibly opted to lean on his grappling to secure two submission wins after that, before blasting Beneil Dariush’s notoriously shaky chin in just 16 seconds last time out. So Saint denis is still dangerous everywhere, but questions about his chin remain if he’s forced into extended exchanges on the feet.
Hooker will welcome a stand‑up battle, but Saint Denis has shown a willingness to fight to his best advantage, and if he opts to go for takedowns and utilize his proven grappling ability then I think he’ll emerge with a 2nd round submission finish.
Pick: Benoit Saint Denis wins by submission in Rd2.
Rafael Fiziev vs. Maurício Ruffy
Rafael Fiziev halted a three‑fight skid with a decision win in his last outing, while Mauricio Ruffy looks to rebound after having his own three‑fight streak snapped.
Fiziev’s recent run is a bit misleading when you consider he fought Justin Gaethje to a majority decision, while his TKO loss to Mateusz Gamrot only came after an ACL tear that sidelined him for 18 months. In fairness Gaethje did beat him more convincingly by unanimous decision in their rematch, but beating Ignacio Bahamondes since has helped steady the ship. The 32-year-old Fiziev remains a sharp, dynamic muay thai striker with calculated accuracy, agile kicks and strong defensive fundamentals, While his excellent sense of balance aids his takedown defense. He has underrated wrestling too, but on the downside his high‑paced style can tax his cardio.
Ruffy burst into the UFC in some style with highlight‑reel knockouts of Jamie Mullarkey and King Green, showing off his speed, power, and composure. However, while he appeared to tick all the boxes offensively, there were some signs of defensive liabilities, while his ground game was largely untested. That soon changed when Benoît Saint Denis submitted him with ease, suggesting that his mat work is in need of a lot of work.
This should be a good striking battle, but ultimately I’m leaning slightly towards Ruffy here as the fresher fighter with an extra 3″ height and 4″ reach advantage to work with and the harder one-punch power, enabling him to deliver the more impactful blows and emerge with a closely fought decision victory.
Pick: Mauricio Ruffy wins by decision.
Tai Tuivasa vs. Tallison Teixeira
Tai Tuivasa enters into this one on a five‑fight losing streak, while Tallison Teixeira comes in after a mixed start to his UFC run, with a 35‑second TKO win being followed by a 35‑second TKO loss against Derrick Lewis.
Despite a kickboxing background, the 32-year-old Tuivasa is essentially a heavy‑handed brawler who has demonstrated his knockout power in all but one of his career victories. Tuivasa’s defensive responsibilities quickly dissolve when fists start flying and during his current slump that led to two KO defeats in a row, while his weak ground game resulted in two submissions after that. His latest defeat was only by split-decision against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, but most observers felt he’d been beaten more soundly than the scorecards suggested. Tuivasa has been out of action for around 18 months since due to ‘burnout’, so it remains to be seen if that leads to him being rejuvenated or simply suffering from ring-rust upon his return.
The 26-year-old Teixeira is a huge heavyweight who will tower over Tuivasa with a 6″ height and 8″ reach advantage. Teixeira has generally used those long levers to good effect, proving to be a diverse striker who has finished seven fights via punches, kicks and knees, while he also has a black belt in BJJ that’s also delivered a submission finish too. However, Teixeira’s level of competition was on the weak side and his habit of keeping his chin exposed was a point of concern that Derrick Lewis was swiftly able to exploit last time out via a quick TKO finish.
It’s questionable whether Teixeira will have been able to break his bad defensive habits in a little over six-months since that loss, and if not then Tuivasa is exactly the kind of hard-hitting puncher who could punish him. ‘Bam Bam’ is all too hittable as well though, so it could go either way, but I’ll take Tuivasa to land a fight-ending blow in the opening round.
Pick: Tai Tuivasa wins by KO in Rd1.
Quillan Salkilld vs. Jamie Mullarkey
Quillan Salkilld has won all three of his UFC fights so far, while Jamie Mullarkey got back in the win column last time out after back-to-back defeats.
The 26-year-old Salkilld couldn’t have asked for a better first year in the UFC in 2025, with a 19‑second TKO debut and a head‑kick KO of Nasrat Haqparast last time out helping him to earn both the UFC’s ‘Debut Of The Year’ and ‘Rookie Of The Year’ awards. Now 10‑1, Salkilld has the makings of a well-rounded fighter who is still improving. It’s worth noting he wasn’t a big finisher prior to joining the UFC, but he’s shown his power in the Octagon, and has a very capable kicking game to go along with it. Added to that he also makes use of his solid wrestling ability and has a handful of submission wins too.
The 31-year-old Mullarkey has put in a steady, workmanlike shift in the UFC, but has had a tendency to struggle to push beyond a certain level, resulting in a a 6‑6 run. He has respectable power and rugged wrestling ability, but his durability is a major concern, with six of his eight career losses have come by strikes, including two recent first‑round TKOs.
This feels like a match-up that’s set up in Salkilld’s favor, and with his solid all-round game and advantages in speed, power, and overall athleticism I think he can get a first round TKO win here.
Pick: Quillan Salkilld wins by TKO in Rd1.
Prelims (Predicted winners in bold)
Junior Tafa vs. Billy Elekana
Cameron Rowston vs. Cody Brundage
Jacob Malkoun vs. Torrez Finney
Jonathan Micallef vs. Oban Elliott
Kaan Ofli vs. Yi Zha
Kim Sang-wook vs. Dom Mar Fan
Keiichiro Nakamura vs. Sebastian Szalay
Sulang Rangbo vs. Lawrence Lui
Aaron Tau vs. Namsrai Batbayar
