UFC 325 official for Jan. 31 in Sydney featuring Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 — ‘Mustache season is coming’

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently announced the upcoming UFC 325 event on Paramount+, scheduled for Sat., Jan. 31, 2026 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Headlining the fight card will be reigning featherweight champion, Alex Volkanovski, who defends his 145-pound title in a rematch against No. 2-ranked contender, Diego Lopes.

Volkanovski previously defeated Lopes at UFC 314 back in April.

“Take risks, accept the fights that are offered, do a good job and presentation and then we talk,” Lopes wrote on social media. “Mustache season is coming. See you in Australia.”

No other fights have been announced for UFC 325 outside of the main event.

“I wanted to fight earlier,” Volkanovski said on YouTube. “I thought it was going to be December. We thought Lerone Murphy, December, then I guess UFC they’re waiting for Jean Silva and Lopes. Then they were saying Lopes and obviously, we’re like, ‘we just fought that guy.’ Is there more deserving people and whatnot? Whatever, everyone knows that I’ll fight anyone, so whoever they put in front of me, I’ll do, but there were questions.”

UFC chose to ignore No. 1-ranked Movsar Evloev, as well as No. 4-ranked Lerone Murphy, a situation not unlike the bizarre (and Arman-less) booking for UFC 324 in Las Vegas. Former UFC lightweight and current fight night analyst, Din Thomas, told MMA Junkie the champ is currently in a “no-win” situation.

“I think Volk is in a no-win situation here,” Thomas said. “In a way he’s in a no-win situation because if he wins it’s like, ‘Hey, you just beat this guy last year and there’s two other guys that deserved it more than he does.’ Lerone Murphy to me deserves a shot at the title. He’s done everything the UFC’s asked of him, but he doesn’t scream entertainment, and Diego Lopes does. And it’s just in terms of flipping a fight one week, another numbered event the next week – you’ve got to go with the guy who’s going to sell. I think it’s important to Paramount to get off to a really strong start and get more people and it’s honestly better for the sport itself to have this fight as opposed to the meritocracy of Lerone Murphy, because he deserves it.”

Lopes will have a chance to prove matchmakers right on Jan. 31 in Sydney.