With UFC 325 set to be hosted at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney this weekend, the MMA world is firing off with predictions for the featherweight championship rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. Among those weighing in is former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, who recently took to his YouTube channel to offer a detailed breakdown of the main event.
While Muhammad acknowledged Volkanovski’s masterclass performance in their first meeting at UFC 314, he sees potential pitfalls for the Australian champion as he prepares to defend his belt on home soil. Muhammad’s hot take began with high praise for Volkanovski’s previous victory, where the champion reclaimed his title with a tactical dismantling of the Brazilian contender.
“Volk did a beautiful job of sticking to that jab, low kicks, controlling the pace of the fight, controlling the range of the fight,” Muhammad observed. He noted that apart from a single moment where Volkanovski was briefly rocked, the performance was “super clean” and arguably one of the best of his career.
For the rematch, Muhammad believes the key for Volkanovski lies in replicating that approach—establishing the jab early, forcing Lopes onto his back foot, and refusing to get drawn into a brawl. “Volk just can’t get caught into that chaos,” Muhammad warned, referencing the wild exchanges that Lopes thrives on.
However, the path to victory for the challenger requires a complete strategic overhaul. Muhammad was critical of Lopes’ passivity in their first encounter, suggesting that nerves or the magnitude of his first title fight might have stifled his output.
“For Lopes, you can’t do what you did last fight,” Muhammad advised. “You didn’t do much, especially in the early rounds. You’ve got to do what you’re good at. That’s bringing the chaos, bringing the damage.”
Muhammad urged Lopes to trust in his speed and power, pointing out that when he forces opponents to engage in messy, high-paced scrambles, he often finds the finish.
Ultimately, Muhammad’s final prediction leaned toward the underdog, driven by a concern over Volkanovski’s motivation rather than his skillset. “I really wish Volk would have retired after the last one,” Muhammad admitted, suggesting that topping a “perfect” performance is a nearly impossible task.
He questioned whether the fire to prepare for the same opponent back-to-back would burn as brightly for the aging champion. “It’s just hard to fight somebody back to back… Diego is going to come better. I don’t know if Volk could come better, so I’m going to pick Diego in this one.”
