Last night (Sat., Jan. 31, 2026), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia for UFC 325. Two numbered events in two weeks? Paramount continued to kick 2026 off with a bang and another title fight, as Featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski aimed to defeat Diego Lopes for the second time in less than 12 months. Elsewhere on the card, four highly talented Lightweight contenders threw down, and a bevy of Australian talent took center stage.
Let’s
take a look back over the best performances and techniques of the evening:
Volk Does It Again
Alexander Volkanovski, once again, largely neutralized Diego Lopes.
For the most part, Volkanovski played the same game as the first fight. He worked behind his jab and his footwork, making Lopes chase him around for long portions of the fight. Lopes couldn’t set his feet, and any time he tried to rush his way into exchanges, Volkanovski would ding him with a right hand or two. Given that Volkanovski fought so well the first time, the onus was not on him to switch it up.
Lopes, conversely, brought a couple of new ideas to the cage. He threw more calf kicks — which is good! — and tried to work from the Southpaw stance more often and … that was it, really. He still spent a ton of time just following Volkanovski around, unable to initiate much offense of his own. It was incredibly frustrating to watch, as Lopes just didn’t have the tools to pressure effectively and wound up in a similar pattern to the first bout.
I don’t feel like there’s much more to say here. Volkanovski still has it to the same degree he did nine months ago, and Lopes failed to bring much new to the table. If anything, this rematch was just a slightly worse version of the first fight, as there were relatively few momentum swings or major moments on either side.
Benoit Batters Hooker
Benoit Saint Denis vs. Dan Hooker was a great scrap.
The veteran opened the fight by establishing his punishing front kick to the belly right away, as well as countering Saint Denis’ left kick. By winning that kicking range early, Hooker took the initiative and forced Saint Denis into an awkward spot. “BSD” tried to shoot his way back into the fight, but Hooker’s excellent guillotine really scared him off the shot on multiple occasions.
Saint Denis was in a rough way when he started finding success in the clinch. It took multiple attempts, but he landed a big throw into top position and found some elbows. Hooker began to wilt a bit under his relentless pressure even while still landing himself, which resulted in some questionable decisions. Early in the second, he tried to take down Saint Denis and wound up reversed in a truly awful position: mount with one of his arms trapped. The French mauler took the opportunity to land about a dozen clean elbows to the forehead, and though the fight lasted another few minutes, Hooker wasn’t the same after that barrage.
Following this stoppage win, “BSD” has won four straight and finished all of his opponents. He deserves a big opportunity next, and we know Arman Tsarukyan is unbooked and in need of a dance partner.
Run it?
Ruffy Rebounds
Mauricio Ruffy fought brilliantly to return to the win column opposite a very game Rafael Fiziev.
Fiziev started the bout well. He controlled the center and backed Ruffy into the fence, using his feints to set up powerful kicks. Targeting the liver and calf with his kicks, Fiziev worked to break down the longer man. He also exploded into his left hook and even showed a takedown threat, keeping Ruffy fairly defensive for the opening few minutes.
Ruffy is a sublime striker, however. He punches with a quickness and fluidity that very few can match. He started finding success with his jab in the final minute or so of the first, and his success quickly began to build. As the jab landed more often, Ruffy’s volume built, and Fiziev looked less comfortable initiating with combinations. He started only attacking with kicks, allowing Ruffy to build a lead on head shots and ultimately set up a vicious right hand.
There are still concerns about Ruffy’s footwork and willingness to fight off the fence if he were to face another top grappler, but his striking excellence is hard to deny.
Heavys—t Indeed
Tai Tuivasa vs. Tallison Teixeira was absolutely abysmal MMA.
I’ll admit to being impressed for about three minutes by Teixeira. He timed his takedowns well and showed good control on the canvas, something I didn’t expect from the man who historically only wins via first-round knockout. The problem is that wrestling for a round utterly exhausted him, and the rest of the fight was absolute trash.
In the second round, Tuivasa stuffed the takedown twice and still ended up on bottom. He kept clinching for no reason. Teixeira was too exhausted to throw ground strikes from MOUNT. The third was even worse, as Tuivasa actively failed to unload on a completely stationary opponent. Both men seemed close to cardiac arrest by the time the final bell was called.
Teixeira got the decision nod, but everybody should be well aware he’s not a real contender after this performance. As for Tuivasa, he’s now lost six straight fights after absolutely handing this one away. He might get another shot because he’s popular, but this was an embarrassing showing on both sides.
Salkilld Continues To Rise
25-year-old Quillan Salkilld is a very legitimate Lightweight prospect, and he proved as much by running over Jamie Mullarkey in about three minutes.
To his credit, Mullarkey brought an interesting game plan to the table. Rather than deal with his fellow Aussie’s kicks, he pressed into the pocket and clinch of his own volition. He actually managed to drag Salkilld to the floor for a very brief moment, and the other positive of his game plan was that he wasn’t taking full power Salkilld punches to the dome.
Unfortunately for Mullarkey, there was a clear difference in physicality. When Salkilld returned the favor with a takedown of his own, he slammed the veteran with authority and landed in dominant position. He moved onto the back smoothly, utilizing advanced back techniques to pinch the hip from the single-leg back control (sometimes known as the “high ball ride”). From this position, he attacked the neck and forced the finish quickly.
Mullarkey had never previously been submitted in a 13-year professional career, and Salkilld just tapped him in three minutes. He hardly broke a sweat!
Clearly, the young Aussie is ready for a ranked opponent next.
A Tafa-Less 2026?
Don’t look now, but UFC may be Tafa-free by this time next week.
Justin Tafa — the only man to ever miss the Heavyweight limit in UFC history — received his pink slip a few months ago. His brother Junior opted to diet a bit, reveal some abs, and try his hand at 205 pounds. Indeed, Junior Tafa looked rather sharp for most of his bout last night against Billy Elekana. He was boxing him up, landing hard body shots and wide hooks around the guard to beat up the “Son of Susie.”
Unfortunately for Tafa fans around the globe, a diet alone won’t fix awful grappling. As soon as Tafa fell to a takedown in the second, Elekana was on his back and choking him out. All his good work on the feet was quickly erased, and Junior Tafa has now lost four of his last five fights, all via stoppage.
He would be a great fit for BKFC …
Additional Thoughts
- Cam Rowston defeats Cody Brundage via second-round knockout: In many ways, this felt like a repeat of Rowston’s impressive debut versus Andre Petroski. Once again, he was able to shut down the wrestler’s attempts to grapple, and on the feet, he proved a level above. Like most City Kickboxing products, Rowston manages range quite well with his lead leg kicks and active feints, and he used that timing to line up his right hand to great effect on several occasions. Brundage mostly swung wildly and usually missed, and his attempts to wrestle were repeatedly punished by knees or reversals. Eventually, he wound up beneath the lanky striker and was pummeled into a TKO. Now 2-0 in the UFC, “The Battle Giraffe” looks like he could potentially develop into a ranked Middleweight.
- Jonathan Micallef defeats Oban Elliott via second-round rear naked choke (highlights): The theme of the early “Prelims” was comeback finishes. Elliott started the fight really aggressive and downright angry, taking the fight to Micallef. He hurt him more than once in the first frame, and he continued to land hard into the second. Unfortunately, Elliott willingly clinched up with Micallef after hurting him, and he wound up on the bottom as a result. Micallef didn’t look great on the feet here, but he’s got serious physicality and opportunism, which ultimately decided the fight.
- Keiichiro Nakamura defeats Sebastian Szalay via third-round knockout (highlights): The latest Road to UFC final match was decided with a bang! Szalay started strong, taking the first two rounds with good volume and range control. Actually, he continued to fight well into the third, really right up until the moment Nakamura timed him with a perfect knee and intercepted Szalay’s head movement. In just a single blow, Nakamura secured the remarkable comeback win and Road to UFC title simultaneously.
