9 Dec 2025

UFC RETURNS TO SYDNEY IN FEBRUARY WITH UFC® 325: VOLKANOVSKI vs. LOPES 2

For the first time in his storied career , UFC featherweight champion and Australian legend Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski will defend his championship on home soil. Volkanovski will take on No.2 ranked UFC featherweight, Diego Lopes in a highly anticipated rematch at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday, February 1 at UFC® 325: VOLKANOVSKI vs. LOPES 2.

Tickets for UFC 325 will go on sale to the general public this Friday, December 12 at 3 p.m. AEDT and will available to purchase at ticketek.com.au. Tickets are limited to six (6) per person. UFC Fight Club® members will have the special opportunity to purchase tickets two days early on Wednesday, December 10 at 9 a.m. AEDT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. In addition, a special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, December 11, starting at 9 a.m. AEDT. Tickets are limited to four (4) per person. To access this presale, fans may register at UFC.com/Sydney.

Fans intending to travel to Sydney for UFC 325 can secure their spot at the event by selecting from a range of Official Travel Packages, available now via Sportsnet Holidays.

VIP Experience packages are now available via On Location, UFC’s Official VIP Experience Provider. These exclusive packages offer premium seating, VIP access to weigh-ins, all-inclusive hospitality, meet-and-greets with UFC athletes, and more. For additional information, visit UFCVIP.com to view package details. 

The featherweight championship will be on the line this February as New South Wales’ own and two-time champion, Alex Volkanovski (27-4-0, fighting out of Windang, Australia) defends his title against Brazilian challenger Diego Lopes (27-7-0, fighting out of Puebla de Zaragoza, México). The two first met in the Octagon at UFC®314: VOLKANOVSKI vs. LOPES in Miami earlier this year for the vacant featherweight title with Volkanovski winning by unanimous decision after a five- round “Fight of the Night” main event.

Just announced, an explosive co-main event between No.6 ranked UFC lightweight, Dan “The Hangman” Hooker (24-13-0, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) and Benoit “God of War” Saint Denis (16-3-0, fighting out of Bayonne, France). Part of the esteemed City Kickboxing team from Auckland, fan favourite Hooker will look to get back in the win column against the rising star and No.8 ranked Frenchman.

“The Octagon is back again in Sydney this February” Peter Kloczko, Senior Vice President, Australia and New Zealand, UFC. “

“UFC 325 will be major. To have Australia’s own Alex Volkanovski defend his title in front of a home crowd is a dream result. This event will not only be a huge moment for Alex, but for UFC and the sport of MMA in Australia. As always, we appreciate the support from our event partners Destination NSW and the NSW Government, and we aim to deliver another record - breaking event.”

NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper added, “It is incredibly exciting that Sydney will take centre stage next February for this blockbuster event, which will draw thousands of fans from across the world and inject millions into the NSW visitor economy. 

“UFC 325 will reaffirm Sydney’s position on the world stage as a leading destination for unforgettable, world-class sporting experiences.

“And I know that the whole of NSW will be behind hometown hero Alex Volkanovski!”

Other bouts on the card include:

• Fellow top ten lightweight, No.8 ranked Rafael "Ataman" Fiziev (13-4-0, fighting out of Baku, Azerbaijan by way of Phuket, Thailand) will take on Mauricio “One Shot” Ruffy (12-2-0, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
• No.12 ranked UFC heavyweight and fan favourite from Western Sydney, Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa (15-8-0 fighting out of Sydney, Australia) taking on No.15 ranked heavyweight Tallison "Xicao" Teixeira (8-1-0, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
• Bendigo’s Jimmy Crute (14-4-2, fighting out of Bendigo, Australia) will face Dustin "The Hanyak" Jacoby (21-9-1, fighting out of Denver, Colorado) in a light heavyweight bout
• Perth local, Quillan Salkilld (10-1-0, fighting out of Perth, Australia) steps in to face Chinese lightweight, Rongzhu (27-6-0, fighting out of Sichuan, China).
• Melbourne welterweight and current training partner for former champion, Robert Whitttaker - Jonathan ‘The Captain” Micallef (8-1-0, fighting out of Melbourne, Australia) will take on Oban ‘The Welsh Gangster” Elliott (12-3-0, fighting out of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales)
• Queenslander, Junior "The Juggernaut" Tafa (6-4-0, fighting out of Queensland, Australia) will take on Billy “Son of Susie” Elekana (9-2-0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada) in a light heavyweight bout
• Sydney middleweight, Jacob "Mamba" Malkoun (8-3-0, fighting out of Sydney, Australia) returns to the Octagon to face undefeated Torrez “The Punisher” Finney (11-0-0, fighting out of Georgia, USA)
• Sydneysider by way of esteemed CKB in Auckland, Cam ‘Battle Giraffe” Rowston (13-3-0, fighting out of Sydney, Australia) will take on Cody Brundage (11-7-0, fighting out of  Englewood, Colorado) in a middleweight bout
• No.7 UFC heavyweight, Serghei "Polar Bear" Spivac (17-6-0, fighting out of Chisinau, Republic of Moldova) will face No.9 ranked Croatian heavyweight, Ante “Walking Trouble” Delija (26-7-0, fighting out of Dubrovnik, Croatia)
• TUF 32 veteran "Genghis" Kaan Ofli (13-4-1, fighting out of Melbourne, Australia) will face RTU Season 2 winner Yizha (26-5-0, fighting out of Sichuan, China).

 

Additionally, the finals for ROAD TO UFC Season 4 will take place on the UFC 325 prelims. Eight top prospects from Asia-Pacific have made it through the first two rounds of the most significant tournament in the region and now have the chance to earn a UFC contract. These include:

• Flyweight Final: XFC bantamweight champion, knock out king Aaron Tau (11-1, New Zealand) faces grappling prodigy Namsrai Batbayar (9-1, Mongolia).
• Bantamweight Final: Shuriken bantamweight champion, striking prospect Lawrence Lui (7-1, New Zealand) takes on slick striker Sulangrangbo (10-3, China).
• Featherweight Final: Eternal MMA featherweight champion, tactician Sebastian Szalay (10-1, Australia) meets KO artist Keiichiro Nakamura (7-1, Japan).
• Lightweight Final: Former Eternal MMA challenger, well-rounded Dom Mar Fan (8-2, Australia) matches AFC welterweight champion and RTU veteran, well-rounded SangWook Kim (13-3, Korea).

 

UFC® 325: VOLKANOVSKI vs. LOPES 2 will mark UFC’s return to Sydney following record-breaking UFC® 312: DU PLESSIS vs. STRICKLAND 2 in February 2025. UFC® 312 set the record for gate revenue for any Australian indoor arena in history at AUD $12.3 million, with 66 percent of attendees coming from out of town. The event attracted a diverse, international audience and generated AUD $24.6 million Australian dollars in direct economic activity, with a total economic impact of AUD $66.7 million.

UFC® 325: VOLKANOVSKI vs. LOPES 2 is supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

For Australian fans, the event will be available live on Pay Per View via Main Event on Kayo and Foxtel at 1 p.m. AEDT on Sunday, February 1. Prelims will start at 8:30 a.m. AEDT and will be available to watch on Paramount+ and Network 10.

Fans looking to stay up to date with ticketing, bout, and fight week information can register their interest at UFC.com/Sydney.

About UFC®

UFC® is the world's premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and approximately 330 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while distributing programming to more than 950 million broadcast and digital households across more than 210 countries and territories. UFC's athlete roster features the world's best MMA athletes representing more than 75 countries. The organization's digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world's leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.