Volkanovski retains title as UFC 325 produces breakout performances

UFC 325 is officially in the books, and the featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski retained his title over Diego Lopes in dominant fashion. There were plenty more exciting fights on the card to go over.

Let’s start right where we started last week with the prelim contest between Jacob Malkoun and Torrez Finney.

Oh boy, was I wrong about Finney. I thought he was going to come into this fight ready to go, but Malkoun absolutely picked him apart for three rounds, outstriking him 151 to 42.

Finney will need to go back to the drawing board and just be more active in his future fights. As for Malkoun, I’d like to see him make a relatively quick return to the octagon as he’s only fought three times in three years in the UFC.

Moving on, Cam Rowston defeated Cody Brundage via knockout in the second round on Saturday.

Brundage looked outmatched, and Rowston picked him apart for a round and a half before finishing the UFC veteran.

A fight to make for Rowston might be against Jacob Malkoun. They are both now coming off wins, and it’ll be interesting to see how Dana White decides to play it with those two.

Rowston is definitely a name to look out for in the middleweight division going forward.

The featured prelim was a fun one, seeing Junior Tafa go up against Billy Elekana.

Tafa dominated the first round, knocking down Elekana and seeming to be winning the fight, before Elekana scored a takedown and eventually submitted the Australian, taking home the win in enemy territory.

The main card kicked off with highly touted prospect Quillan Salkilld squaring off against Jamie Mullarkey.

Salkilld made quick work of Mullarkey, submitting him in the very first round.

Fans are clamoring for the UFC newcomer to get a crack at the Top 15, but I see no reason to rush him. He’s only 4-0 in the UFC, and I’d like to see him take on somebody like Chris Duncan instead.

Duncan is riding a four-fight win streak, most recently submitting Terrance McKinney. He’s 15-2 as a pro and proves to be a tough test for the Australian.

I think if that’s the fight that’s booked, then the winner gets their crack at the Top 15.

The next fight was in the heavyweight division, and I have so many things to say about this fight.

First, Tai Tuivasa should be cut. I love the guy, and he’s brought the UFC great moments, but his time has come.

This is a fighter who was once ranked in the Top 3 in the heavyweight division. He’s now lost his last six fights and is struggling to make the 265-pound heavyweight limit. He unfortunately has to go.

As for Tallison Teixeira, who won this fight via decision, he shouldn’t be pleased by his performance at all.

He gassed out in the middle of the third round and didn’t come close to finishing Tuivasa once in the fight.

Not a performance to shout home about, that’s for sure. I’d like to see him take on Ryan Spann.

Spann, who fought at Light Heavyweight for many years, is 1-1 at Heavyweight in the UFC.

I’d like to see how Teixeira fares against a livelier opponent.

The featured prelim saw Mauricio Ruffy go up against Rafael Fiziev.

What a performance this was from Ruffy, who knocked out Fiziev in the second round after some beautiful striking on the feet.

He’s completely turned the page from the loss to Benoit Saint Denis and is now inside the Top 10 in the Lightweight division.

The fight next for Ruffy is against Manuel Torres.

Torres is coming off back-to-back knockout wins, and a fight between these two would mean fireworks.

In the co-main event, Benoit Saint Denis demolished Dan Hooker, finishing him in the second round after some vicious ground and pound.

Saint Denis looked really, really good in this fight and is definitely turning heads at lightweight.

This sets him up for a title eliminator against Arman Tsarukyan, maybe at the White House in June.

The winner of that fight will definitely be next for what is currently Ilia Topuria’s championship.

Now, for the main event.

It was once again a vintage performance for Alexander the Great, defeating Diego Lopes via unanimous decision.

Diego would be able to right the ship after his last fight against Volk, but the man is the champion for a reason.

Volk will now fight the winner of Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy, which takes place at UFC London in March.

Evloev is the harder fight of the two.

He has wins over Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen and Diego Lopes and is a matchup nightmare for Volkanovski.

This weekend, the UFC will head to the APEX for the first time in 2026 for a Fight Night, headlined by Mario Bautista and Vinicius Oliveira, so stay tuned for coverage next week.

Sawyer Bogaty is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email him at sgb5468@psu.edu.