Diego Lopes is smiling his way straight into a second crack at UFC gold and he has zero time for anyone complaining about it. On Thursday, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Lopes will challenge featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 325 on Jan. 31 in Sydney, Australia.
The booking raised eyebrows immediately, given that Volkanovski already defeated Lopes just this past April at UFC 314. Since then, Lopes did exactly one thing: flatlined Jean Silva at Noche UFC 3 with a highlight-reel knockout that kept his name hot and his momentum intact. Apparently, in 2025, that plus fan buzz is enough to get you right back to the champ.