Alexander Volkanovski prepares to defend his featherweight title at UFC 325 this Saturday in Sydney, but the 37-year-old champion has admitted the rematch against Diego Lopes might not move the needle on his legacy.
Volkanovski faces Lopes in the UFC 325 main event at Qudos Bank Arena on February 1, marking his first title defense on home soil in his storied career. The two previously met at UFC 314 in April 2025, where Volkanovski reclaimed the vacant championship with a unanimous decision victory after Ilia Topuria vacated the belt to pursue lightweight gold.
The matchmaking has drawn criticism from fans who question the value of an immediate rematch against an opponent Volkanovski already defeated just nine months ago. The Australian acknowledged these concerns in a recent interview with ESPN Australia, revealing his preference would have been facing undefeated contenders like Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy instead.
Alexander Volkanovski Questions What UFC 325 Does for His Legacy
"Some people might have wanted to see me against maybe a Movsar, an undefeated guy, maybe for legacy reasons and people that are in the know, but then you've got everyone that still just want to watch me fight," Volkanovski explained, speaking to ESPN. "But yeah, obviously legacy-wise, having a rematch against someone I just beat, is it going to be doing so much for my legacy? Probably not."
Evloev holds an undefeated record of 19-0 and sits at the top of the featherweight contender rankings after defeating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310. Murphy, meanwhile, extended his unbeaten streak to 17-0-1 with a spectacular spinning back elbow knockout of Aaron Pico at UFC 319 in August 2025. Both fighters represent fresh challenges that would carry more weight for Volkanovski's resume than a second consecutive victory over Lopes.
The legacy question looms large for Volkanovski as he attempts to cement his status as the greatest featherweight of all time. A win at UFC 325 would give him eight victories in UFC featherweight title fights, matching the record held by legendary champion Jose Aldo. Aldo defended the UFC featherweight title seven times during his first reign and holds the record for most successful title defenses in division history.
Volkanovski's recent career trajectory has complicated his case for the featherweight GOAT title. He suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Islam Makhachev at lightweight in October 2023 and then lost his featherweight crown to Topuria via second-round knockout at UFC 298 in February 2024. At 37 years old, questions have emerged about whether the Australian should continue fighting after absorbing such heavy damage.
The champion has indicated that if he defeats Lopes again, his next title defense would likely come against either Evloev or Murphy. However, lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan has thrown his name into the mix, expressing interest this week in dropping to featherweight to challenge for the title if he cannot secure a lightweight title shot.
UFC 325 takes place at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, marking Volkanovski's first fight in his home state of New South Wales since 2017. The Australian has spent much of his championship reign fighting abroad, making this homecoming defense particularly meaningful to local fans even if the opponent selection raises legacy questions.