The Paramount Era of the UFC continues to be a success with yet another great card with lots of finishes, fan favorite fights, and all-time great performances. From young prospects showing what the future of the UFC could look like, one of the greatest of all time is proving why he is on another level than anyone else. An amazing night of fighting in Sydney, Australia, and another great card to start the year off in the Paramount+ age.

UFC 325 Recap:

Quillan Salkilld vs Jamie Mullarkey: Lightweight

Quillan Salkilld improved to 4-0 in the UFC with his round one submission over Jamie Mullarkey. Salkilld is one of the premier up-and-comers in the lightweight division and put the entire UFC on notice after his brutal head kick KO win against Nasrat Haqparast in his last fight. He is slowly inching his way towards becoming a ranked fighter in the division and will likely see a top-15 opponent next.

Salkilld dominated the fight from the first minute, where he showed his skilled striking before taking Mullarkey down with a throw. Once the two went down to the ground, it was only a matter of time before Salkilld would take the back and sink in a rear-naked choke for the submission win. Again, a ranked fight is most likely what Salkilld’s future will hold as he makes a name for himself and inches towards being a title contender one day.

#12 Tai Tuivasa vs #15 Tallison Teixeira: Heavyweight

Tallison Teixeira went the distance for the first time in his MMA career after his unanimous decision win over Tai Tuivasa. This fight was interesting as Teixeira clearly won the first two rounds, but then was almost finished in the third by Tuivasa. Tallison learned from his KO loss to Derrick Lewis and made it a point to grapple in the first round and avoid the power of Tuivasa. He did just that, smothering Tai on the ground in the first round and not letting him up for air.

The second round was similar, and although Teixeira got Tuivasa to the ground, Tai was able to get up and start to wear Teixeira down with his striking. By the third round, both men were so exhausted they could barely throw any punches. Tuivasa seemed to have a little more gas in the tank and landed some big shots that had Tallison hurt. Teixeira shot for a takedown, which he didn’t land, but he was able to stay on the ground long enough to wait out a decision win. Teixeira would take home the victory and could be fighting for a top-ten heavyweight fight next.

#9 Rafael Fiziev vs #14 Mauricio Ruffey: Lightweight

In a pure striking battle between two of the most entertaining strikers in the lightweight division, Mauricio Ruffey came out on top with a round two knockout over Rafael Fiziev. The first round was extremely close, and Fiziev could have even won the round on the scorecards with his kicks and activity. In the second round, however, Ruffey got into a rhythm and started to punish Fiziev with his jab. With his jab established, Ruffey set up many different combinations of punches, which he did.

While faking a jab, Fiziev pulled back to get out of the way, but Ruffey was one step ahead and lunged forward to land a massive right hand that stunned Fiziev. Fiziev scrambled away frantically, but Ruffey was all over him with punishing shots on the ground. Fiziev had taken too much damage, and the fight was called. Ruffey gets back into the win column and demonstrates great improvement from his last fights. With this win, he will likely be in the top ten rankings of the lightweight division.

#6 Dan Hooker vs #8 Benoit Saint Dennis: Lightweight

Benoit Saint Dennis put on another brutal performance with a round two TKO of Dan Hooker. This fight was bound to be chaotic and violent, and it did not let fans down. In the first round, Hooker was getting the better of Saint Dennis with his striking and especially his kicks. Hooker was punishing Dennis to the body with teep kicks that hurt the Frenchman multiple times. This would, in fact, make Benoit hesitant to throw strikes or even go for takedowns because of the risk of eating another body shot. Hooker also showed great takedown defense throughout the fight, but Saint Dennis is relentless, and it was only a matter of time before he secured a takedown. 

In the second round, Dan Hooker made a costly mistake and tried to take Saint Dennis himself, but it backfired, and Dennis ended up on top with a dominant position over Hooker. Saint Dennis started to rain down huge elbows that sliced Hooker open. This continued for minutes on end, and the damage to Hooker was too much. The fight was called, and Saint Dennis walked away with the TKO win. Benoit Saint Dennis has proven that he is a serious contender and is now on a 4-fight win streak and will get a top-five opponent in the near future. 

(C) Alexander Volkanovski vs #2 Diego Lopez: Featherweight

Alexander Volkanovski proved why he is the undisputed GOAT of the featherweight division with another masterclass performance. His striking was excellent, and he outstruck one of the biggest power punchers in the division. Diego Lopez held his own, but there weren’t many moments where he was getting the better of the champion. Volk even wobbled Lopez at one point with a big right hand, which just showed the level at which Volkanovski was on.

Lopez did drop Volkanovski at one point and even took a round off of the champ, but Volk was not to be denied. His fight IQ and distance management are some of the best the sport has ever seen, and he once again defends his featherweight belt. Volk has now tied Jose Aldo with the most featherweight title defenses with eight, and he is not done yet. His next opponent will either be Lerone Murphy or Mosvar Evloev. These would be contenders Volk had never faced and are at the top of the division. He will look to continue his all-time great legacy with a win over one of those two. He is not done yet, and he proved that even at his age, he is one of the best fighters to ever walk the planet.