While that contest took place in Miami, Florida, this time Alexander ‘The Great’ enjoyed home advantage as the Octagon travelled to Sydney, Australia. Although UFC legend Volkanovski was a major draw for the locals, the card also featured a scrap between top lightweight contenders.
Dan Hooker met Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event. Both men were hoping to take one step closer to a shot at gold at 155 pounds, whether that be against interim champion Gaethje or full titleholder Ilia Topuria.
Below is a look at all the action from the major bouts at UFC 325, together with the salaries for selected fighters on the card.
Volkanovski Battled Past Lopes to Retain the UFC Featherweight Championship
Less than a year after they last collided for UFC gold, Volkanovski and Lopes renewed their rivalry at Qudos Bank Arena. The Australian hadn’t fought since his unanimous decision victory in the first fight, while Brazilian Lopes earned another shot at the title following his vicious spinning back elbow stoppage of Jean Silva in September.
At 37 years old, time should theoretically be catching up with Volkanovski. The lighter weight classes are notoriously tough on older fighters as the strain of cutting weight takes its toll.
However, if the 31-year-old Lopes was supposed to make his relative youth count, he didn’t manage it on Saturday night. If anything, Volkanovski delivered an even more comprehensive victory in front of his adoring home faithful.
Although Lopes had his moments, ‘Volk’ controlled much of the action with his superior footwork. When the pair did exchange shots, it was more often than not Volkanovski who had the last word.
Even when the challenger knocked Alex down in the third round, he couldn’t take advantage and the champion was soon back to dominating proceedings. Knowing he needed a finish to take the title, Lopes went for broke in the first stages, but failed to make any real impression, as Volkanovski ended the bout in top position. It was a fitting way for his homecoming to end.
Volkanovski took the win via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards (49-46, 49-46, 50-45). The triumph saw him secure his eighth win in UFC featherweight title fights, equalling the record held by the legendary Jose Aldo.
Alex will now look to become the outright record holder in his next outing, while it is difficult to see Lopes getting another championship opportunity as long as Volkanovski holds the title.
Benoit Saint Denis Demolishes Dan Hooker at UFC 325
Australian fans were promised fireworks when New Zealand’s Hooker met France’s Saint Denis in the three-round co-main. Instead, they witnessed a savage one-sided beatdown with ‘BSD’ announcing himself as a main player at lightweight.
‘Hangman’ had reason to be optimistic early as he almost secured a guillotine choke in the opening round. However, Saint Denis survived and would make Hooker pay for not finishing the fight in the second round.
The beginning of the end for Hooker came when ‘God of War’ reversed a takedown attempt, leaving the Kiwi vulnerable. Saint Denis landed with vicious elbows, before looking for an arm-triangle choke.
Hooker managed to avoid being submitted, but the end wasn’t far away as he continued to absorb punishment. Ultimately, the referee was forced to step in at 4:45 of the second round with the downed fighter unable to defend himself. The victory is the biggest of Saint Denis’ career by some distance and puts him in line for major fights later in the year.
UFC 325 Fighter Earnings
The victorious Volkanovski banked the most money over any fighter on the UFC 325 card. He took home $2,692,000, which is almost double what he earned for his first win over Lopes.
Although he will be devastated to have lost once again, Diego will at least have the consolation of a seven-figure payday following his defeat. The $1,632,000 he earned is just under a $1 million increase over what he made at UFC 314.
Despite suffering a damaging loss in the co-main event, Hooker ($421,000) made significantly more than Saint Denis ($286,000). The Frenchman will likely receive a bump in pay next time out, though, after his star-making performance.
Other UFC 325 salaries (selected)
Fighter
Estimated total payout
Dan Hooker
$421,000
Benoit Saint Denis
$286,000
Tai Tuivasa
$215,000
Cody Brundage
$215,000
Jacob Malkoun
$176,000
Mauricio Ruffy
$164,500
Jamie Mullarkey
$161,000
Rafael Fiziev
$110,000
Billy Elekana
$81,000
Junior Tafa
$65,000
Quillan Salkilld
$60,000
Keiichiro Nakamura
$53,000
Tallison Teixeira
$52,000
Oban Elliott
$34,500
Torrez Finney
$24,000
Sebastian Szalay
$16,000
When is the Next Major UFC Event?
After being treated to two numbered events in as many weeks, there’s now just over a month until UFC 326 on Saturday the 7th of March. The main event will almost certainly be worth the wait, though, as Max Holloway defends his BMF Title against Charles Oliveira in a contest that could well be a Fight of the Year contender.
Neither man is likely to take a backward step at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Only one man can take home the BMF crown, but both men will be determined to put on a show in Sin City.
Despite being the gold standard of MMA promotions, the UFC has always been criticised for how much they pay their fighters. It’s why we have seen many figures look for boxing fights or other promotions, where they can earn much more.
However, the UFC is now in the Paramount era, and with the $7.7 billion deal signed, a lot was made about whether the fighters would also see a substantial increase to their pay.
While we haven’t seen the long-term affects of the move to Paramount, we now have the information regarding the fighter’s earnings so far this year. The earnings are the salaries from the fights they’ve had this calendar year, with bonuses also added on.
Highest-paid UFC fighters in 2026 [15-11]
Rank
Fighter
2026 earnings
15.
Paulo Costa
$1,021,000
14.
Sean Strickland
$1,082,000
13.
Ciryl Gane
$1,225,000
12.
Paddy Pimblett
$1,532,000
11.
Max Holloway
$1,542,000
10 Carlos Ulberg
Total earnings: $1,582,000
Coming into 2026, Carlos Ulberg was riding the highs of beating both Jan Blachowicz and Dominick Reyes. At UFC 327, he took on Jiri Prochazka for the recently vacated UFC light heavyweight championship.
While he did end up claiming gold, it came in possibly the most bittersweet way. Just two minutes into his first shot at the title, he got into an awkward exchange with Prochazka, who ended up tearing his ACL in his right leg in the process.
Three fighters on the card broke the £1 million mark…
Despite this, he continued fighting and took more damage, only this time it was to the uncompromised left leg. It seemed like the fight was only going one way; however, Ulberg, against the odds, landed a pitch-perfect left hook to drop Prochazka. He pounced on him with an onslaught of ground and pound before Marc Goddard stopped the fight.
One of the all-time great title wins, though, it seems like the 35-year-old will now be spending a while on the sidelines, and may never be the same again after suffering such a severe injury.
9 Sean O’Malley
Total earnings: $1,671,000
Amber Searls via Imagn Images
Despite being out of the title picture for the early stages of 2026, Sean O’Malley‘s stardom is still very well reflected through his earnings. He has already fought twice this year, picking up wins over Song Yadong and Aiemann Zahabi.
Many analysts and fans may have doubted O’Malley, especially after those two defeats to Merab Dvalishvili. However, he’s proved that he is still one step ahead of the contenders, with two impressive displays. The finish against Zahabi certainly stood out, as the moment went viral due to the salute, and reminded all of his power.
Big money was earned at UFC 324 as it was the first event with $100,000 bonuses on the line.
O’Malley hadn’t managed a knockout win since 2023, when he defeated Aljamain Sterling to clinch UFC gold.
8 Jiri Prochazka
Total earnings: $1,832,000
Another half of UFC 327’s main event is on the list, though, this time it’s Prochazka, who suffered his third defeat in a UFC title fight.
After suffering a second loss to Alex Pereira, he reacted in the best way possible, picking up wins over Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. With Poatan’s move to heavyweight, it seemed like the stars would finally align for Prochazka.
He made a strong start to the first round, with his leg kicks slowly but surely damaging Ulberg’s left leg. After the ACL tear, he was in full control and was even pointing to the ground for them to exchange in the pocket.
Ulberg strayed away, and eventually caught him with a wonderful left-hook. Once again, Prochazka was finished early on, but this time in a fight that would have rewarded patience.
7 Diego Lopes
Total earnings: $2,032,000
It’s already been a very busy year for Diego Lopes. From suffering another defeat to Alexander Volkanovski, to reigniting his momentum with a win at the White House over Steve Garcia.
His activity has certainly been rewarded by the company, especially as he weighed in as the back-up fighter for UFC Freedom 250’s main event between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.
Lopes will be eagerly anticipating the result of the likely match-up between Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev. If the Russian can get it done, then Lopes’ dreams of becoming featherweight champion look much brighter.
6 Charles Oliveira
Total earnings: $2,282,000
After being brutally finished by Topuria just last year, Charles Oliveria has got his career back on track with back-to-back wins. He beat Mateusz Gamrot last year, and in 2026, got the better of Max Holloway.
He claimed the BMF title along the way, with his grappling completely neutralising Holloway. It wasn’t the most exciting fight, but it was enough to get the job done.
The finances behind UFC 326 have been released and the victor of the main event took home a lot more than his opponent.
His performance in the main event, mixed with his popularity, has given him strong earnings, far exceeding Holloway’s. Oliveira is now calling for a rematch with Gaethje for the lightweight championship. He beat the American when they squared off in 2022.
5 Ilia Topuria
Total earnings: $2,500,000
Amber Searls via Imagn Images
El Matador’s return to the Octagon after almost a year out couldn’t have ended in a worse way. He suffered severe damage, and ultimately tasted defeat for the first time in his career.
Gaethje put on a show, and inflicted enough damage for the fight to be stopped in between rounds. Topuria did have his moments during the bout, especially the period in the second round where he was unloading shots to the body.
However, it wasn’t enough, and he is now out for the rest of the year due to the injuries sustained. Both his eyes were shut during the fight, and could have led to a doctor’s stoppage. He will need plenty of time to recover before returning to the cage.
4 Alexander Volkanovski
Total earnings: $2,692,000
It has been another strong year for Volkanovski, as he defended his featherweight strap for the first time since he was beaten by Topuria.
The Australian beat Lopes for the second time, proving that he’s still one of the best in the game even at 37 years old, and after facing the adversity of losses to Topuria and Islam Makhachev. It’s unclear when we will next see him in the Octagon, though, Evloev is the likely opponent.
3 Khamzat Chimaev
Total earnings: $3,092,000
Khamzat Chimaev is the first fighter on this list to break the $3 million barrier, and it’s no surprise after the hype going into his title fight against Sean Strickland.
Both fighters were going back-and-forth, overstepping the mark with trash talk about religion and family. It ultimately sold the fight to the millions and made it an eagerly anticipated affair.
The numbers have been crunched, and the full earnings have been released.
In the end, Strickland picked up the win on the scorecards, as his boxing and relentless nature were all too much for Chimaev. He was coming off a tough weight cut, which was perhaps a reason for his struggles. Due to this, a move up to light heavyweight seems likely in the future.
2 Justin Gaethje
Total earnings: $5,817,000
As one of the most active fighters of the year, it was a given that Gaethje would be on this list. He dominated Paddy Pimblett in January before putting a beating on Topuria to capture the elusive undisputed UFC gold.
Against Topuria, he was rewarded with both the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses, which amounted to over $800,000. These earnings have almost become common place for him, having won 17 bonuses in 16 fights.
A lot of money was spent by the UFC, not just on the White House.
While he isn’t likely to return to the Octagon this year, both performances completely shocked the world, and now put him in a great position going forward.
1 Alex Pereira
Total earnings: $10,000,000
Amber Searls via Imagn Images
Despite topping this list, Pereira has had a far from ideal year in the Octagon. He took on Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title, a chance to further cement himself in the history books. A chance to become the first-ever three-weight world champion.
However, it didn’t go his way. From the off, Gane’s movement and mobility seemed far superior as he was bouncing in and out of the pocket, clipping Pereira with big shots along the way. He eventually dropped the Brazilian before landing a flurry of shots. The fight was soon stopped as the barrage of strikes proved too much.
A bitterly disappointing year for Poatan, especially when considering that he probably won’t be back in the Octagon this calendar year.
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are both looking to make significant changes to their squads this summer following disappointing seasons, with the former now targeting a move for FC Koln winger Said El Mala, according to GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Ben Jacobs.
Tottenham have been heavily linked with a move for the exciting German attacker in recent days, and now they have been joined by Liverpool in the race for the 19-year-old.
The Reds are determined to add to their frontline following the big exit of Mohamed Salah this summer, with a deal already completed to sign Victor Munoz from Osasuna out of nowhere.
It was a £34m transfer that shocked Newcastle United too, with the Magpies believing that they were about to sign the Spain international, before Liverpool’s late hijack.
The Merseyside outfit aren’t done there though, as Andoni Iraola looks to add more pace to a frontline that currently includes Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak, Rio Ngumoha, Federico Chiesa and Hugo Ekitike, although the Frenchman is likely to be unavailable until 2027 because of injury.
Liverpool have identified RB Leipzig wonderkid Yan Diomande as their top target to replace Salah, but they have other targets in mind in case they can’t land the Ivorian.
However, the Reds still need to reach an agreement on a fee with Leipzig, who are determined to keep the Ivory Coast international.
They have already rejected a £87m bid from Liverpool for their winger, with Fabrizio Romano suggesting that a bid north of £100m could be considered.
However, Jacobs has confirmed that the Merseysiders have alternative targets in case they can’t find an agreement, including Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola and Koln’s Said El Mala.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s Yankuba Minteh and Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo are the other names on the shortlist.
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Liverpool Eyeing Double Midfielder Deal
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Liverpool are also looking at other areas of the pitch for new arrivals too, including in central midfield.
The Reds are expecting to lose Curtis Jones this summer, with the Englishman continuing to be linked with a move to Serie A, while doubts have been raised over the future of Alexis Mac Allister.
The Merseysiders are considering central midfield options as a result, with Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton a player they have big appreciation for, according to GMS sources.
Liverpool have also held meetings over a move for Morocco sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to Fabrizio Romano, with the 18-year-old exploding onto the world scene at the 2026 World Cup after racking up almost 100 senior appearances for Lille.
The UFC is a cut-throat business. Lose a few fights in a row and your time in the company could be over. Fail to get the fans on side or get a reaction from the audience, and you could see your contract terminated.
