Volkanovski to Deny Lopes Again: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes Betting Preview & Prediction
The featherweight champion Alexander "The Great" Volkanovski and Brazilian challenger Diego Lopes have both made weight, and the UFC 325 main event title fight is official for tonight in Sydney. Born and raised in Australia, this is a home game for the champ Alexander “The Great,” who will deliver the fans something worth cheering about, a factor in my Volkanovski vs. Lopes prediction and betting preview.
Main card action starts at 9 p.m. ET on Paramount+, including with your subscription and no pay-per-view needed; the main event is estimated to start around 12 p.m. ET. The UFC 325 odds have Volkanovski as a -145 betting favourite.
🆚 Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes fight preview
Check our best UFC betting sites for the latest odds for this fight.
Volkanovski returns home to Australia for a fight for the first time in three years. He holds a 3-1 record in UFC fights in his home country, with his only loss an ultra-competitive encounter with Islam Makhachev, a fight that saw Volkanovski move up to 155 pounds and nearly become a two-weight-class world champion.
He’s already defeated Lopes once before, just nine months ago, winning four of the five rounds on two judges’ scorecards and outlanding his opponent in significant strikes every round. Now with a home-field advantage to work with, there’s no reason to believe this second fight won’t be a similar outcome to their first contest, with Volkanovski getting his hand raised by unanimous decision.
Prediction: Alexander Volkanovski to win (-145 via FanDuel)
🩸 Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes predictions: UFC 325
See all of our UFC picks for this weekend's fights; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.
| Market | Pick | Odds | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick to win | Alexander Volkanovski | -145 via FanDuel | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Best bet | Over 4.5 Rounds | -120 via FanDuel | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
💰 Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes best bet: Over 4.5 rounds (-120)
We’ve already seen Volkanovski and Lopes fight for 25 minutes, and outside of a brief knockdown in round two, both fighters seemed more than capable of handling what the other threw at them.
Lopes has never been finished in a UFC fight, and Volkanovski has only ever been finished by two elite fighters, Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev. Expect both men to take damage just as good as they dish it out, and for this fight to go over 4.5 rounds en route to an eventual Volkanovski by decision.
This isn't the only fight I like the in the Over rounds in, I break down another in my UFC 325 best bets.
😯 Upset hunting?
Our Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint Denis prediction is eyeing a stunning result.
📊 Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes odds
Odds via BetMGM; subject to change.
| Alexander Volkanovski | Diego Lopes | |
|---|---|---|
| -145 | Win outright | +120 |
| +300 | Win by KO/TKO/DQ | +300 |
| +1200 | Win by submission | +600 |
| +150 | Win by decision | +650 |
| Over: -115 | Over/Under 4.5 rounds | Under: -115 |
⚖️ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes tale of the tape
| Alexander Volkanovski | Diego Lopes | |
|---|---|---|
| 37 | Age | 31 |
| 5-foot-6 | Height | 5-foot-11 |
| 145 lbs | Weight | 145 lbs |
| 71” | Reach | 72” |
| 27-4 | Record | 27-7 |
| 13 | Wins by KO | 11 |
| 3 | Wins by submission | 12 |
| 1-0 | Head-to-head | 0-1 |
📺 How to watch Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes: UFC 325
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 31
- Time: 5 p.m. ET (early prelims), 7 p.m. ET (prelims), 9 p.m. ET (main card)
- Location: Qudos Bank Arena (Sydney)
- TV: Paramount+
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