Alexander Volkanovski defended his UFC featherweight title with a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes in a Sydney rematch.
ALEXANDER Volkanovski cemented his supremacy in the UFC featherweight division on Sunday, outlasting rival Diego Lopes in a gruelling rematch.
The 37-year-old Australian defended his 145-pound belt with a unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) in the UFC 325 main event.
Volkanovski basked in the adoration of a febrile 20,000-person crowd at Qudos Bank Arena in his first world title defence on Australian soil.
He continued his dominance over the 31-year-old Lopes, having also won by unanimous decision at UFC 314 last April.
“It ain’t getting any easier,” Volkanovski said. “You’ve got a young, hungry guy like that in there and I wanted to take him out but he was strong.”
Considered the greatest UFC featherweight of all time, Volkanovski entered as a warm favourite but was wary of his taller opponent.
Lopes decided to throw caution to the wind but was quickly forced into defence with Volkanovski attempting a takedown.
He landed a heavy right hook in the third round that left Volkanovski rattled.
The champion’s agility and relentless striking eventually wore down his flagging challenger, who was unable to land a knockout in the final round.
Also on the main card, rising Frenchman Benoit Saint Denis pummelled New Zealand’s Dan Hooker with a second-round technical knockout.
“I’m going to be champion. I’m ready,” said eighth-ranked Saint Denis, who clinched his fourth-straight victory.
In the heavyweight bout, Brazilian Tallison Teixeira emerged victorious after a unanimous decision inflicted a sixth-straight defeat for Australian Tai Tuivasa.