Champion Alexander Volkanovski battles second-ranked Diego Lopes for the UFC featherweight championship in the main event at UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, Australia. The preliminaries are set to begin at 7 p.m. ET, with the main card at approximately 9 p.m. ET on Paramount+. Volkanovski is coming off a unanimous decision win over Lopes at UFC 314 last April. The bout was for the vacant UFC featherweight championship and earned Fight of the Night honors.
Volkanovski is a -148 favorite (risk $148 to win $100), while Lopes comes back at +124 in the latest UFC 325 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. The co-main event features a lightweight bout between sixth-ranked Dan Hooker (+295) vs. eighth-ranked Benoit Saint Denis (-375). Before finalizing any UFC 325 picks, make sure you see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Kyle Marley.
Bet UFC 325 at DraftKings Sportsbook, where new users get $300 in bonus bets with a winning $5 wager:
Over the past three-plus years, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up nearly $10,000, and since May 2018, he has returned well over $21,000. The accomplished MMA analyst has provided consistent winners for SportsLine members for the past five years. His accomplishments include hitting five consecutive main-event underdog winners in 2020 following the UFC’s brief pause in action because of the pandemic. He also went 7-4 on his picks at the last UFC card. Anyone who has followed Marley could be way up.
Now, Marley has studied Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2 from every angle and revealed his top betting picks and best bets. Head to SportsLine to see them.
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Volkanovski vs. Lopes preview
Volkanovski, 37, is a two-time featherweight division champion. Prior to joining UFC, Volkanovski competed as a professional boxer, winning his only fight by unanimous decision over Dillon Bargero on April 17, 2015. He enters at No. 5 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings. He is the first Australian-born fighter to win a UFC title.
Volkanovski has compiled a 27-4 all-time record, including 13 wins by knockout, three by submission and 11 by decision. In his four losses, he has been knocked out three times, while losing one bout by decision. Australian MMA named him the 2025 Male Next Level Fighter of the Year. He is the oldest fighter in history to win the UFC featherweight championship at 36 years, 195 days. Check out SportsLine to see his picks and analysis.
Lopes, 31, began his professional career in 2012, when he made his debut at It’s Time Combat 1 in Manaus, Brazil. He also fought in Mexico and eventually joined the LUX Fight League in October 2018. He was invited to compete in Dana White’s Contender Series 37 in 2021. Although he lost to Joanderson Brito, Lopes was eventually signed by the UFC.
He made his UFC debut at UFC 288, losing by unanimous decision to Movsar Evloev, but earning Fight of the Night honors. He has won six of his last seven fights since. In 34 career matches, Lopes has compiled a 27-7 overall record. He has 11 wins by knockout, 12 by submission and four by decision. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
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UFC 325 predictions
One of of Marley’s UFC 325 picks: He is backing Billy Elekana (-258) to win via decision against Junior Tafa.
“Tafa might get the striking match that he needs here, but I’m sure Elekana could run through him with wrestling if he wants, because Tafa is that bad on the ground,” Marley said. “Elekana can win a striking match here as well, but that is just going to be a closer fight, and he put himself at risk of getting knocked out. I hope he wrestles, but give me Elekana to win a decision.” See who else to back here.
How to make UFC 325 picks
Marley has strong picks for Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 and every other bout on the UFC 325 card. He’s also backing a fighter who is “the better overall fighter,” to emerge with a big victory. He’s sharing who it is only at SportsLine.
Who wins Volkanovski vs. Lopes, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since May 19, 2018, and find out.
UFC 325 main fight card, odds
See picks at SportsLine.
(Odds from DraftKings and subject to change)
Alexander Volkanovski (-148) vs. Diego Lopes (+124)
Dan Hooker (+295) vs. Benoit Saint Denis (-375)
Rafael Fiziev (-122) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (+102)
Tai Tuivasa (+260) vs. Tallison Teixeira (-325)
Quillan Salkilld (-1000) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (+676)
