Diego Lopes is smiling his way straight into a second crack at UFC gold and he has zero time for anyone complaining about it. On Thursday, UFC CEO Dana White announced that Lopes will challenge featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 325 on Jan. 31 in Sydney, Australia.
The booking raised eyebrows immediately, given that Volkanovski already defeated Lopes just this past April at UFC 314. Since then, Lopes did exactly one thing: flatlined Jean Silva at Noche UFC 3 with a highlight-reel knockout that kept his name hot and his momentum intact. Apparently, in 2025, that plus fan buzz is enough to get you right back to the champ.
Contenders Fuming: “It’s Not About Who’s the Best Anymore”
Top featherweight contenders were not feeling the announcement.
-
Lerone Murphy (undefeated in 18 fights) ripped the matchmaking, posting:
“It’s not about who’s the best anymore. It’s about who’s most popular.”
-
Aljamain Sterling, who recently dominated two-time title challenger Brian Ortega, fired off multiple tweets questioning how a fighter coming off one win after a loss to the champ jumps the queue over active, streaking contenders.
And hovering over all of this is Movsar Evloev, the undefeated grinder with a win over Sterling, who didn’t fight at all in 2025 and has now publicly suggested he and Murphy fight for the next shot instead.
From the contender side, the math is simple:
-
Murphy: 10 UFC fights, no losses, just slept Aaron Pico in August.
-
Sterling: former bantamweight king, just washed Ortega over five rounds.
-
Lopes: lost to Volk in April, got one big KO in September, now right back into a title shot.
You can see why they’re heated.
Diego Lopes: “Stop Whining and Get to Work”
Lopes’ response? Shrugs, smiles, and smoke.
Reacting to the wave of criticism, he posted: “My face when I saw everyone crying. Sitting around, he won’t give you a title fight. Get to work and stop whining on social media.”
The jab makes perfect sense when aimed at Evloev, who hasn’t logged a single Octagon appearance this year. But it doesn’t land as cleanly on Murphy and Sterling, who both fought in August and both looked sharp. Still, Lopes’ message is clear: The UFC called him, not them and he’s not about to apologize for picking up the phone.
Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes Set for UFC 324 in Las Vegas
Welcome to Dice City Sports — where we provide premium, exclusive, up-to-date news and analysis surrounding the Las Vegas sports scene. Follow along on social media, and check back for new articles daily!
Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
