Three Anticipating Battles You Shouldn’t Miss at UFC 325

The UFC goes Down Under once again as the Qudos Bank Arena will be full of excited Aussie fans this weekend.

The main event is a huge title rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes, with the Brazilian aiming for revenge against ‘The Great’.

Prospects such as Quillan Salkilld, Torrez Finney, and Jonathan Micallef are also competing at UFC 325, with a bright future ahead for those fighters.

However, three particular bouts will capture the attention of the MMA community and could leave the Sydney crowd in awe.

Dan Hooker vs Benoit Saint-Denis

Two top ten lightweights go face-to-face with a promising opportunity in their next fight for the winner.

Hooker lost his three-fight win streak when he suffered a second-round submission defeat to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Qatar.

‘The Hangman’ has earned multiple Fight of the Night bonuses, as he consistently shows heart and toughness against his opponents.

The New Zealander has earned 18 finishes from 24 victories, stopping 11 of his foes by KO/TKO and seven by submission.

Saint-Denis extended his triumphant streak to three when he knocked out Beneil Dariush in just 16 seconds at UFC 322.

The ‘God of War’ fought three times last year, conquering Mauricio Ruffy and Kyle Prepolec by submission.

The Frenchman has a 100% finish rate, as he doesn’t like to go the distance, knocking out five opponents and submitting 11.

A win for either Hooker or Saint-Denis will likely match them against a top-five lightweight contender, putting them close to a title shot.

Rafael Fiziev vs Mauricio Ruffy

Two ranked lightweights clash in what will be an amazing striking battle and will make the Sydney crowd go wild.

Fiziev broke his three-fight losing streak with a comfortable decision win over Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Baku.

‘Ataman’ has contested against some of the toughest fighters in the 155-pound division, which include Justin Gaethje, Rafael dos Anjos and Renato Moicano.

With 13 victories in his professional MMA career, the #9 contender has won eight of those bouts by KO/TKO.

Ruffy was one of the most hyped prospects in the UFC, holding an impressive seven-fight win streak before his loss to Saint-Denis at UFC Paris.

Prior to his loss, the Brazilian showcased a Knockout of the Year contender when he left King Green unconscious with a spinning wheel kick at UFC 313.

The #14 contender has triumphantly gone the distance once in his career, earning his other 11 wins by KO/TKO.

Both Fiziev and Ruffy aim to show who will be the best kickboxer in the Octagon, as they consistently showcase multidimensional striking.

Tai Tuivasa vs tallison Teixeira

It’s a fight for redemption in the heavyweight division as two knockout artists desperately want to bounce back.

Tuivasa is on a five-fight losing streak, with his most recent loss coming against Jairzinho Rozenstruik by split decision at UFC 305.

‘Bam Bam’ was once at #3 in the rankings after knocking out Derrick Lewis at UFC 271, and coming close to beating Ciryl Gane in a scrappy battle at UFC Paris.

With 15 wins in his MMA stint, the Australian has only gone the distance once, as 14 of his fights have ended by KO/TKO.

Teixeira became undefeated no more after a first-round TKO loss to Lewis at UFC Nashville, which was only his second UFC bout.

The 26-year-old made his UFC debut in Sydney, where he stopped Justin Tafa in 35 seconds of the first round by knockout in February 2025.

‘Xicao’ has never gone to the judges’ scorecards in any of his contests, as seven have ended successfully by KO/TKO and one by submission.

Fan-favourite Tuivasa has not been in the win column for almost four years as the Aussie crowd will be behind him, but Teixeira looks to spoil the possibility from happening in enemy territory.