‘Who said he was gonna retire?’: Pros react to Alexander Volkanovski outclassing Diego Lopes in UFC 325 main event

Alexander Volkanovski isn’t going away anytime soon

Alexander Volkanovski
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 01: Alexander Volkanovski of Australia reacts after a unanimous decision victory against Diego Lopes of Brazil in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 325 event at Qudos Bank Arena on February 01, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Alexander Volkanovski has done it again.

In the first defense of his second reign as featherweight champion, Volkanovski won a clear-cut unanimous decision over Diego Lopes in Saturday’s UFC 325 main event to retain his title.

With the win, Volkanovski now has six successful title defenses to his name and he ties the legendary Jose Aldo for the most UFC featherweight title fight wins in company history. This is also the second straight time Volkanovski has beaten Lopes after he outpointed him in similar fashion at UFC 314 this past April.

That win made Volkanovski the oldest fighter to win the UFC’s 145-pound championship and now, at 37, he is the oldest to successfully defend it.

On social media, several fighters chimed in to anoint Volkanovski as the best featherweight of all time, while Belal Muhammad praised the Australian star for his longevity, writing, “Volk still got it. Who said he was gonna retire? He’s still fresh.”

See more reactions from the pros below.


Category: General Sports