No belt! Diego Lopes puts on a war, but loses rematch to Volkanovski at UFC 325.

Diego lopes Focused before fighting in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

Diego lopes lost to Alexander Volkanovsky in April and, in UFC 325, was defeated again. In the main fight of the event held this Saturday (31), in Australia, the Brazilian faced the MMA legend in hostile territory and was even more combative, but did not do enough to become featherweight champion (up to 65,8 kg). At the end of the 25 minutes of action, 'Franja' lost by unanimous decision.

With this latest defeat, Diego sees his dream of becoming champion of the division slipping further away. It's worth noting that this was the second time the Brazilian has fought for the title in a short period, and on both occasions, he was defeated by the Australian. Meanwhile, the veteran proved once again that he is one of the best fighters in the history of the division.

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Diego debuted in the UFC in 2023 and became something of a sensation. In the octagon, the Brazilian has six wins, four by stoppage (three by knockout and one by submission), and three losses. His main victories were against... Brian ortega, Dan Ige e Jean Silva.

Battle in the main fight

At the start of the fight, the athletes studied each other and exchanged low kicks. The experienced Volkanovski sought a takedown, but Diego, alert, defended. Then, the pair resumed exchanging kicks and punches. With balance on their feet, Volkanovski clung to Diego and took him to the cage, but didn't take him down. In the striking exchanges, Volkanovski landed good punches to Diego's face, who responded with kicks.

In the second round, Diego hunted Volkanovski, who circled the octagon and threw jabs and kicks. Confident, Diego also landed low kicks and straight punches on Volkanovski. Standing, Diego continued to land powerful punches. Cautious, Volkanovski waited for the right moment to respond, but without the same power. At the end of the round, the fighters intensified their attacks and landed blows. There was still time for Diego to attempt a takedown and for Volkanovski to apply a guillotine choke. Calmly, Diego defended and took Volkanovski's back, but didn't have time to work the position.

In the third round, the duel remained balanced. Diego landed punches to Volkanovski's midsection, who countered with jabs. Sharp on his feet, Diego posed a threat with crosses, while Volkanovski continued to rely on jabs. The most intense moment came when Volkanovski landed two powerful punches to Diego's face. One of them even rocked the Brazilian. Enjoying a good moment in the fight, Volkanovski landed another clean straight punch on Diego. In the final minute, Diego landed a solid punch on Volkanovski, who fell and quickly got back up.

In the fourth round, Diego pressured Volkanovski, but came out worse in the exchange of punches. In another exchange of blows, Volkanovski again landed punches to Diego's face. Diego moved forward and delivered a powerful cross to Volkanovski. At the end of the round, the fighters landed punches on each other, and there was still time for Diego to startle Volkanovski with a high kick.

In the fifth and final round, Volkanovski landed low kicks on Diego. In turn, Diego chased Volkanovski, but ended up being taken down. A jiu-jitsu specialist, Diego attempted a guillotine choke, but Volkanovski defended. Standing, Volkanovski stunned Diego with a jab and then took him down. Against the cage, Diego took Volkanovski down, attempting a rear-naked choke.

Standing with Diego on his back, Volkanovski calmly defended himself. Fully engaged in the fight, Volkanovski clung to Diego, who surprised him with an armbar attempt. Again, Volkanovski defended, to the delight of the fans, sat on Diego and, prematurely celebrating victory, attacked him with punches in the final seconds.

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UFC 325 results

MAIN CARD

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Alexander Volkanovsky derrotou Diego lopes by unanimous decision of the judges (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) – Championship fight

Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Benoit Saint-Denis derrotou Dan Hooker by technical knockout (punches and elbows) at 4:45 of round 2

Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Mauricio Ruffy derrotou Raphael Fiziev by technical knockout (punches) at 4min30sec of R2

Heavy weight (up to 120,2 kg.): Tallison Teixeira derrotou Tai tuivasa by unanimous decision of the judges (28-29, 28-29, 28-29)

Light weight (up to 70,3 kg): Quillan Salkilld derrotou Jamie Mullarkey by submission (rear naked choke) at 3min01sec of R1

PRELIMINARY CARD

Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Billy Elekana derrotou Junior Tafa by submission (rear naked choke) at 3min18sec of R2

Middleweight (up to 83,9 kg): Cam Rowston defeated Cody Brundage by technical knockout (punches) at 4min08sec of R2

Average weight (up to 83,9 kg): Jacob Malkoun derrotou Torrez Finney by unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

Welterweight (up to 77 kg.): Jonathan Micallef derrotou Oban Elliott by submission (rear naked choke) at 3min31sec of R2

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Kaan Ofli derrotou Yi Zha by majority decision of the judges (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)

Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Dom Mar Fan defeated SangWook Kim by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Keiichiro Nakamura defeated Sebastian Szalay by technical knockout (knee strike) at 3:38 of round 3.

Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Lawrence Lui defeated Sulangrangbo by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)