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A featherweight championship rematch headlined Saturday’s UFC 325 fight card in Sydney, Australia. Two-time titleholder Alexander Volkanovski puts his title on the line against Diego Lopes.
Volkanovski and Lopes first fought last April in the UFC 314 main event. “The Great” won via unanimous decision to become a two-time featherweight titleholder. The rematch will be Volkanovski’s first title defense of his second championship reign. Lopes picked up a TKO win over Jean Silva in September to earn a second fight against the champion.
Volkanovski pawed wth his jab and used feints early. Both men were careful though the first 90 seconds. Lopes landed a leg kick. Volkanovski looked for a takedown. Lopes defended the attempt. Volkanovski delivers a kick to the body. They exchanged right hands. Lopes pressed forward switching stances. Volkanovski closed the distance and worked for a takedown. Lopes defended the attempt and they separated. Volkanovskli landed a clean right hand. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Volkanovski.
Lopes pressure Volkanovski to start the second frame. Volkanovksi stopped in the pocket with a combination and landed a leg kick on the way out. They exchanged leg kicks. Lopes connected with a right hand. Lopes landed a stiff jab. Volkanovski let his hands to connecting with a combination. He delivered a hard right hand. Volkanovski’s right hand found a home. Lopes closed the distance. Volkanovsi applied a guillotine choke but let it go. He scrambled back to his feet in the closing seconds. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Volkanovski.
Lopes connected with an outside leg kick to start the third. He stepped forward and partially landed a right hand. Volkanovski responded with a leg kick. They exchanged and Volkanovski landed a right hand. lopes connected with an elbow on the break. Volkanovski landdd a big right and that bucked Lopes’ knees. The champion landed another right hand. The output slowed for both fights. A short right hand knocked Volkanovski down. He immediately bounced back to his feet. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Lopes with the knockdown.
Lopes opted to start the fourth with a leg kick. Volkanovski worked behind his jab. He stepped in the pocket with a right hand. Lopes landed back-to-back leg kicks. Volkanovski landed a leg kick. He accidentally kicked Lopes in the groin and the challenger was given time to recover.
Once the action was restarted, Lopes pressed forward. Volkanovski continued to land his jab. Lopes pressed forward with a left hand. Volkanovski fired back. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Volkanovski.
The fight was too close for anyone to feel comfortable heading into the final frame. Lopes seemed behind on the scorecard and pressed forward. He landed a kick to the body that may have hurt his foot. Volkanovski circled on the outside. Volkanovski changed levels and took Lopes down. Lopes worked his way back to his feet and Volkanovski went back to landing his jab. Volkanovski secured a takedown but Lopes quickly got back to his feet. Volkanovski kept the pressure on. Lopes took Volkanovski down. Lopes took his back and Volkanovski stood. Lopes remained on his back. Volkanovski spun and they worked for position along the cage. Lopes isolated an arm. Heh applied an arm bar. Volkanovski escaped the submission attempt. Volkanovski landed right hands in the closing seconds. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Volkanovski.
The judges scored the fight for Volkanovski via unanimous decision. The scorecards read 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45.
