Lerone Murphy Furious as Volkanovski Gets Lopes Rematch

The news that Alexander Volkanovski is set to face Diego Lopes for a second time at UFC 325 in January hasn’t gone down well with the other top contenders in the UFC featherweight division.

Volkanovski (27-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) defeated Lopes by unanimous decision at UFC 314 last April to claim the vacant 145-pound title after former champion Ilia Topuria moved up to challenge for the lightweight crown.

The Australian’s win over Lopes was a relatively routine one in which he was rarely threatened, and the battle to earn the next shot at his title intensified in the months that followed. UK standout Lerone Murphy (17-0-1 MMA, 9-0-1 UFC) thrust himself into the spotlight by flatlining Aaron Pico at UFC 319 in August with a spectacular spinning-elbow finish. Another unbeaten contender, Movsar Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), had also been in the running for a title shot, although the Russian remained inactive through 2025 after withdrawing from a proposed bout with Pico in August due to injury.

Dana White’s announcement on Thursday that Volkanovski will face Lopes (27-7 MMA, 6-2 UFC) again seemed to catch the MMA world by surprise. Although Lopes bounced back from his defeat with an impressive knockout of Jean Silva at UFC Paris in September, the routine nature of his first meeting with Volkanovski left many doubting he would leapfrog two undefeated contenders to secure another crack at championship gold.

“Missing the opportunity to fight one of featherweights goats is what hurts me the most,” Murphy tweeted after Dana White announced the news on Thursday. “It’s not about who’s the best anymore. It’s about who’s most popular.”

Evloev seemed to take the news in his stride, while proposing a title eliminator fight against Murphy. “Leon Murphy I will give you the opportunity to fight the number one contender,” he tweeted. “Tell your people you’re ready to fight me on the same card as the championship.”