Alexander Volkanovski defeated Diego Lopes via unanimous decision in Australia to retain the UFC featherweight title.

In front of a deafening Sydney crowd, Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski survived a fifth-round rally over Diego Lopes to earn another unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) in their rematch at UFC 325.

Just like their first meeting last April at UFC 314, Lopez (27-8 MMA, or mixed martial arts, 6-3 UFC) wasn’t going to make things easy for Volkanovski (28-4 MMA, 15-3 UFC), as Lopez not only unleashed Volkanovski’s best striking during the first three rounds on Sunday, but also landed some of his own. But Volkanovski adjusted throughout to retaliate, using the grapple to cut off Lopez’s cage space.

Volkanovski’s victory was his first title defense during his second reign, ushering in a revitalized era for the featherweight division.

But for Volkanovski, winning his first race in his home country in nearly three years with the full support of an Australian crowd felt different.

“I didn’t want to stand (with Lopez) for 25 minutes, but we got the job done,” Volkanovski said.

Volkanovski said he was excited to return to the Octagon soon and said he would “see what happens next” with his team.

Lopez was humble in defeat, although he had a clear reaction to a judge who ruled in Volkanovski’s favor throughout all five rounds.

“I think Volkanovski is one of the best players in the division and always has been,” the Brazilian said.

Lopez calls the journey “step by step” as he prepares for an uncertain next fight after falling short in his second championship match against the future Hall of Famer.

Saint-Denis defeats Hooker

Meanwhile, in the night’s co-main event, French lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis effortlessly defeated New Zealand’s Dan Hooker via second-round technical knockout (TKO).

Saint-Denis (17-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) is on a four-fight win streak in this year’s title shot, while Hooker (24-14 MMA, 14-10 UFC) has lost two straight fights and continues to go back to the drawing board.

A devastating right hand from Brazilian lightweight Mauricio Ruffy marked the end of a high-stakes contest against Azerbaijan’s Rafael Fiziev. Rufi (13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) bounced back from a loss to Saint-Denis with a TKO win with 30 seconds left in the second round for his eighth win in his last nine fights.

As for Fiziev (13-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC), he has lost four of his last five fights since his six-fight winning streak ended in March 2023.

The UFC has no numbered events scheduled for February, with UFC 326 scheduled for March 7 in Las Vegas. The promotion returns to Las Vegas next Saturday for its first UFC Fight Night event of the year at Meta APEX (formerly UFC APEX).