Featherweight Title Rematch Confirmed at UFC 325 Weigh-Ins; Flyweight Final Scrapped After Scale Irregularity

Las Vegas, NV – The highly anticipated featherweight championship rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes has been officially sanctioned following the successful completion of the UFC 325 weigh-ins in Las Vegas. Both main event combatants met their respective weight requirements, setting the stage for their championship clash on Saturday. However, the event was not without incident, as a controversial weigh-in performance led to the cancellation of one of the Road to UFC tournament finals.

Alexander Volkanovski, a two-time featherweight champion, tipped the scales at a lean 144.5 pounds, while his challenger, Diego Lopes, registered precisely at the championship limit of 145 pounds. The pair are set to headline UFC 325, marking their second encounter in less than six months. Their first contest at UFC 314 in April saw Volkanovski reclaim a vacant featherweight belt via a unanimous decision victory over Lopes, a bout widely praised for its competitive intensity and technical exchanges.

Volkanovski, 35, enters this rematch with a professional record of 26 wins and 4 losses. His career has been largely defined by his dominant reign as UFC Featherweight Champion, which began in December 2019 after he dethroned Max Holloway. He successfully defended the title five times against elite competition, including Holloway twice more, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, and Yair Rodríguez, before suffering a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria in February 2024, which concluded his initial championship tenure. The belt became vacant following Topuria’s decision to move up to lightweight, presenting Volkanovski with the opportunity to immediately regain the strap against Lopes at UFC 314. Having not competed since that April victory, Volkanovski aims to solidify his position at the top of the 145-pound division.

Diego Lopes, 29, holds a professional record of 24 wins and 6 losses. The Brazilian contender has quickly ascended the featherweight ranks since his UFC debut in May 2023. Despite the decision loss to Volkanovski for the vacant title, Lopes demonstrated significant grit and skill, earning him immediate consideration for a second shot. Following UFC 314, Lopes swiftly returned to action in September, delivering a spectacular knockout victory over Jean Silva, a performance that undoubtedly bolstered his case for a rematch. His aggressive style and submission prowess have made him a fan favorite, and he now seeks to avenge his previous loss and capture his first undisputed UFC title.

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The co-main event lightweights also successfully made weight, with both Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint Denis registering 155.75 pounds. This falls within the one-pound allowance granted for non-title bouts in the UFC. Hooker, a veteran with a record of 23 wins and 12 losses, has been a perennial contender in the lightweight division, known for his striking and durability. He looks to build on his recent performances and re-establish himself in the top echelon of the competitive 155-pound class. Saint Denis, a rising star from France with a record of 13 wins, 2 losses, and 1 no-contest, has quickly garnered attention for his relentless pressure and finishing abilities. A victory over a seasoned opponent like Hooker would significantly elevate his standing in the division.

However, the weigh-in proceedings were marred by an unusual and ultimately costly incident involving Aaron Tau, one of the finalists in the Road to UFC flyweight tournament. Of the 28 fighters scheduled to compete, Tau was the sole individual to miss weight, and the circumstances surrounding his attempt immediately drew scrutiny.

Tau was the last fighter to step onto the scales, arriving approximately 90 minutes into the official weigh-in window. As is customary for some fighters, Tau stripped down and was concealed behind a privacy screen or box for his official reading. Commission officials appeared to encounter difficulties in registering a number, taking several minutes to do so. When a weight was finally announced, it was a surprisingly light 122.5 pounds – well under the 126-pound non-title flyweight limit.

The significant discrepancy immediately triggered suspicion among officials. Tau was subsequently asked to re-weigh without the privacy box, having redressed briefly. Upon his second attempt, his weight registered at 129 pounds, a stark contrast from his initial reading and now three pounds over the flyweight limit. The dramatic shift from 3.5 pounds under to three pounds over within minutes prompted a swift decision from the promotion.

Shortly after the second weigh-in, the UFC officially announced on its morning weigh-in show that Tau’s Road to UFC tournament final bout against Namsrai Batbayar had been cancelled. The incident sparked discussion among analysts, including former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and commentator RJ Clifford, who questioned whether Tau had potentially manipulated the scale during his initial attempt by leaning or touching the sides of the privacy curtain with his elbows while flexing. Such actions, if proven, constitute a serious violation of athletic commission rules regarding fair weigh-in procedures. The cancellation represents a significant setback for Tau, not only in terms of his professional record but also his opportunity to secure a UFC contract through the Road to UFC tournament. Namsrai Batbayar, his opponent, had successfully made weight at 126 pounds.

The Road to UFC tournament serves as a crucial platform for aspiring mixed martial artists from Asia to earn a coveted UFC contract. The finals, scheduled as part of the UFC 325 early preliminary card, feature a series of championship bouts across different weight classes. While the flyweight final was cancelled, the other three Road to UFC finals proceeded as planned. Sangwook Kim (155.75) and Dom Mar Fan (154.75) made weight for their lightweight final, Keiichiro Nakamura (145.25) and Sebastian Szalay (145.75) for their featherweight final, and Sulangrangbo (135.75) and Lawrence Lui (135.25) for their bantamweight final.

Other notable main card weigh-ins included lightweights Rafael Fiziev (155.5) and Mauricio Ruffy (155.25), heavyweights Tai Tuivasa (265.5) and Tallison Teixeira (259), and lightweights Quillan Salkilld (155.5) and Jamie Mullarkey (155.5). All other fighters successfully met their respective weight limits without issue, ensuring a full fight card, barring the unfortunate flyweight final cancellation.

The full weigh-in results for UFC 325 are as follows:

Main Card (Paramount+ at 9 p.m. ET)

• Alexander Volkanovski (144.5) vs. Diego Lopes (145) – UFC Featherweight Championship
• Dan Hooker (155.75) vs. Benoit Saint Denis (155.75)
• Rafael Fiziev (155.5) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (155.25)
• Tai Tuivasa (265.5) vs. Tallison Teixeira (259)
• Quillan Salkilld (155.5) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (155.5)

Preliminaries (Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET)

• Junior Tafa (205.25) vs. Billy Elekana (204)
• Cameron Rowston (184.5) vs. Cody Brundage (184.75)
• Jacob Malkoun (185.75) vs. Torrez Finney (185.75)
• Jonathan Micallef (170.5) vs. Oban Elliott (169.75)

Early Prelims (Paramount+ at 5 p.m. ET)

• Kaan Ofli (145.25) vs. Yizha (145.5)
• Sangwook Kim (155.75) vs. Dom Mar Fan (154.75) – Road to UFC Lightweight Final
• Keiichiro Nakamura (145.25) vs. Sebastian Szalay (145.75) – Road to UFC Featherweight Final
• Sulangrangbo (135.75) vs. Lawrence Lui (135.25) – Road to UFC Bantamweight Final
• Aaron Tau (129) vs. Namsrai Batbayar (126) – Road to UFC Flyweight Final*

*Tau missed weight. His tournament final bout against Namsrai Batbayar has been cancelled.

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