Diego Lopes has responded after numerous fighters criticized his newly announced title fight rematch with Alex Volkanovski at UFC 325.
On Thanksgiving UFC CEO Dana White announced a plethora of marquee matchups for next year’s UFC 324 and UFC 325 events.
Among the announcements was a featherweight title fight rematch between Alex Volkanovski (27-4 MMA) and Diego Lopes (27-7 MMA) to headline the promotion‘s return to Sydney, Australia, on February 1st.
The quickly constructed rematch took many fans and fighters by surprise, as many pundits believed Lerone Murphy or Movsar Evloev were “more deserving” contenders.
Among those critical of Dana White’s decision were former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and surging featherweight contender Lerone Murphy.
‘The Funkmaster’ shared his disapproval of the ‘Lopes vs. Volkanovski’ rematch with the following sentiments:
I agree with Lerone. Even if I didn’t get it, him or Movsar for sure should’ve been the guy. Movsar got passed over by Lopes once, and he gets another opportunity for gold lol. Fair play to Lopes, but you can see why guys start to lose love for the game. Cold world. https://t.co/8roU4mxj11
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) November 28, 2025
“I agree with Lerone. Even if I didn’t get it, him or Movsar for sure should’ve been the guy. Movsar got passed over by Lopes once, and he gets another opportunity for gold lol. Fair play to Lopes, but you can see why guys start to lose love for the game. Cold world.”
Meanwhile, as seen above, Lerone Murphy had this to say after learning of Diego Lopes second title shot:
“Missing the opportunity to fight one of featherweights goats is what hurts me the most. It’s not about who’s the best anymore. It’s about who’s most popular.”
Lopes, who has only won one fight since being defeated by Volkanovski, had the following response for fellow fighters critical of his newly announced title fight rematch:
Diego Lopes reacts to the backlash for his upcoming rematch against Alex Volkanovski at #UFC325 pic.twitter.com/JNnzUPzlna
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) November 28, 2025
“My face when I saw everyone crying,” Lopes wrote. “Sitting around, he won’t give you a title fight. Get to work and stop whining on social media.”
Alex Volkanovski has openly admitted that he feels other fighters were “more deserving” of a title fight than Diego Lopes, but expects another great bout in his upcoming rematch nonetheless.
“UFC really wanted Lopes, but at least everyone knows they’re in for a treat,” Volkanovski added. “It’s going to be a very exciting fight. With Movsar and Lerone, they’re more deserving, but are they going to bring the fight like Lopes would? I think the fans are going to appreciate the fight that me and Lopes are going to have.”
Do you think Diego Lopes is deserving of a second title fight with Alex Volkanovski?