What to Watch as UFC Returns Down Under

The UFC has finally transitioned to Paramount Plus, and their first card, UFC 32,4 was certainly a fun one. In the main event, Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje fought to the very last bell, and in the co-main, Sean O’Malley put on a vintage performance against Song Yadong.

Now the UFC will head to Sydney, Australia, for a rare back-to-back numbered card on back-to-back weekends.

The first fight we’ll look at is in the middleweight division and is between Jacob Malkoun and Torrez Finney.

Finney comes in with a perfect 11-0 record and a 82% finish rate. Malkoun hasn’t fought in nearly two years but brings a lot of power, having four first-round finishes.

This is an exciting fight as many are doubting the undefeated Finney, but if he can win the exchanges on the feet, I like him to win this fight.

The next fight is another middleweight bout, this time between Cam Rowston and Cody Brundage.

Rowston is a perfect 1-0 in the UFC after knocking out Andre Petroski in the first round back in September.

For Cody Brundage, his style plays well against Rowston. If he can take Rowston down early and control the pace on the ground, I think he can win this fight.

It is his fourth fight in the last 12 months, so we’ll see if fatigue plays a role.

The featured prelim is a light heavyweight fight between Junior Tafa and Billy Elekana.

Tafa is a measly 2-4 in the UFC, but five out of his six fights have ended in a finish. He also has a 100% finish rate in his career with six knockouts.

Elekana is 2-1 in the UFC and is on a two-fight win streak. A win over Tafa could land him a top-15 matchup in the future, and I think he gets it done this weekend in enemy territory.

Moving onto the main card, the first fight is an Australian battle between Quillan Salkilld and Jamie Mullarkey.

Salkilld is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC, winning twice by knockout. Mullarkey is a longtime UFC veteran who picked up a win in his last fight in September.

Salkilld is the better striker, and I like him to defeat Mullarkey in this one. Moving on, we have a fight in the heavyweight division between beloved Tai Tuivasa and Tallison Teixeira.

Tuivasa is on a remarkable five-fight losing streak and hasn’t won since 2022, and Teixeira recently suffered his first career loss to Derrick Lewis.

I do think Teixeira will bounce back and defeat Tuivasa in what might be his final fight in his UFC career.

The featured fight on this main card is a good one. It’s a lightweight bout between Rafael Fiziev and Mauricio Ruffy.

Fiziev is coming off a win and is looking to re-insert himself into title contention with a win on Saturday.

Ruffy is coming off a loss but is 3-1 in the UFC and is taking a massive leap fighting someone with the skill level of Fiziev.

Ruffy’s key to victory is to defend the takedowns of Fiziev. If he can do that and keep the fight on its feet, I think it’s anybody’s ballgame.

The co-main event is one that is sure to bring lots of violence.

Dan Hooker will take on Benoit Saint Denis, and the winner of this fight will likely fight Arman Tsarukyan in a title eliminator sometime in late 2026.

This is obviously a huge fight for both men, and both of them have fought the best of the best at lightweight, but I like Hooker to get it done.

I think he will outstrike Saint Denis and take home the win. Now for the main event. Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight championship against Diego Lopes in a rematch from last April.

Volkanovski won that fight, and all I’ve seen this week is how he will outclass Diego on the feet and defend his title, Diego Lopes is younger, fresher, and I believe that he will be the one to win the striking exchanges and dethrone Volkanovski.

Don’t get me wrong, Alex is an incredible fighter, one of the greatest of all time, but age catches up to everyone eventually.

Lopes has been itching for the rematch ever since Volk outclassed him in the first fight, and this time it will be different.

Regardless of the winner, we are definitely in for an absolute scrap between two of the division's best.

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