UFC 325 is set to go down in Australia this Saturday, making for a second consecutive weekend with a numbered UFC event. In the night’s main event, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will face Diego Lopes in a rematch.
Volkanovski won the first meeting at UFC 314 by unanimous decision. That win kicked off Volkanovski’s second reign as champion after he’d dropped the title to Ilia Topuria in February 2024.
The rest of the card is loaded with fights with the potential to deliver serious action.
As with any UFC pay-per-view event, there’s sure to be plenty of action at the sportsbook window, and with that in mind, we are taking a look at the best bet to make for every main card fight at UFC 325.
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After going 31-25 for our best bets in 2025, we kicked off 2026 by going 3-2 at UFC 324. Now we look ahead to this weekend, with our only rule remaining that all bets must be at odds of -250 or better. Let’s take a look at this week’s picks with odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Bet UFC 325 at DraftKings Sportsbook, where new users get $300 in bonus bets with a winning $5 wager:
Quillan Salkilld vs. Jamie Mullarkey
Quillan Salkilld via KO/TKO/DQ (-145)
Salkilld scored two massive knockouts in three 2025 victories, including the CBS Sports Knockout of the Year. Mullarkey is 4-4 since 2022, and he has been stopped by knockout or TKO in all four of his losses. Salkilld averages 1.3 more strikes landed per minute and absorbs nearly one less. All of that adds up to a fair chance that Salkilld scores yet another viral knockout to rile up his countrymen.
Tai Tuivasa vs. Tallison Teixeira
Tallison Teixeira via KO/TKO/DQ (-225)
Teixeira is coming off a disappointing TKO loss to Derrick Lewis on a somewhat questionable stoppage. That said, Tuivasa is on a five-fight losing skid and lacks the unique physical tools Teixeira has. Teixeira is a towering 6-foot-7, giving him a five-inch advantage in height over Tuivasa. Teixeira utilizes all four limbs well in his attack and that should allow him to bully Tuivasa both at distance and in the clinch. This seems like it will be Tuivasa’s last ride in the UFC.
Rafael Fiziev vs. Maurício Ruffy
Rafael Fiziev moneyline (+100)
Fiziev vs. Ruffy is a very even fight on paper, which means you have to find the little edges where the fight can be decided. Both men have power in their strikes, though Ruffy may be a little more fluid in his attack. But in Ruffy’s most recent fight, a second-round submission loss to Benoit Saint Denis, he was taken down repeatedly and showed no ability to get off his back. Fiziev has never been a guy who focuses on his grappling, except that he has six takedowns in his two most recent fights. His team has no doubt planned for exploiting that weakness in Ruffy’s game and that gives Fiziev enough of an edge to take him in this pick’em fight.
Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint Denis
Benoit Saint Denis via KO/TKO/DQ or Submission (-130)
Saint Denis suffered a pair of brutal back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano in 2024 but has rebounded with three impressive victories. Hooker represents the exact kind of opponent that Saint Denis can unload his entire game on. Hooker is very wide-open in his attack, absorbing as many significant strikes as he lands per minute and with good, but not great, takedown defense. Saint Denis averages nearly five takedowns per 15 minutes, while Hooker defends takedowns at 77%. Saint Denis should be able to take advantage of Hooker’s defensive holes, both in striking and in grappling. Once Saint Denis gets rolling, he should be able to find a finish against Hooker, who has seven stoppage losses in his career.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes
Alexander Volkanovski moneyline (-148)
I struggle to see any reason why this rematch looks much different from the first meeting. Volkanovski is one of the craftiest fighters of the era, rarely making mistakes. There’s no shame in losing to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, who may be the two best fighters on the planet. Is Lopes in that group? I don’t believe so. Lopes is good enough to get the win, as he showed when he hurt Volkanovski late in their first meeting. But Volkanovski is the better all-around fighter, and he is the favorite for a reason. We’ll roll with Volkanovski to repeat his victory and continue to build his resume as one of the greatest featherweights in history.
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