Alexander Volkanovski may be inching closer to the end of his legendary career, but he’s still as good as ever. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer defended his title Saturday at UFC 325 with yet another victory over Diego Lopes, outpointing Lopes across five closely contested rounds inside Sydney, Australia’s Qudos Bank Arena.
With the win, Volkanovski moves into a tie with retired legend José Aldo for the most featherweight title defenses (8) in UFC history.
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Undefeated featherweight contender Movsar Evloev was unsurprisingly quick to chime in following the conclusion of UFC 325’s main event. Many within MMA felt that Lopes’ title shot should’ve gone to either Evloev or fellow unbeaten contender Lerone Murphy, considering that Lopes already lost to Volkanovski in April. Evloev applauded Volkanovski for his efforts Saturday night and then reiterated his desire to face the champ before Volkanovski rides off into the sunset in retirement:
Great fight by @alexvolkanovski, he showed that you can get better at that age. I can’t wait to share a cage to show why I am different that these guys!
Volkanovski ultimately mentioned both Evloev and Murphy in his post-fight interview as possible opponents for him this year. The Australian great has indicated that 2026 will likely be his final year, and thus he hopes to compete as many times as possible while he still can.
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Check out Evloev’s reaction to Volkanovski’s win below, plus more from around the MMA landscape.
