Back-to-back numbered events to begin the Paramount+ era.
UFC 325 follows UFC 324 as the promotion looks to bring its millions of fans into the fold on the new streaming provider, Paramount.
We have 14 fights to target at UFC 325 as the card begins at 5 p.m. ET. and will go off on Sunday morning local time from Sydney, Australia.
An insane nine of 14 fights are projected to end inside the distance, as the UFC continues to hunt for finishes in its product.
Below, we break down UFC 325 and deliver our best bets for the entire card on Saturday from across the world.
UFC 325 predictions
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes
Diego Lopes told me in a Wednesday interview, while in the middle of a weight cut, that he is hoping for more car crashes in Saturday’s matchup with Alexander Volkanovski.
These two fought last year, and upon a rewatch, I still don’t fully understand why Lopes received an immediate rematch to fight for the featherweight title.
Lopes is certainly bigger than Volkanovski, and I’d suspect some more offensive grappling from him this time around, with a fair amount of cage push.
Lopes will need to lead the dance on Saturday night.
Volkanovski is far too smart to get into a firefight with Lopes, who is a kill-or-be-killed kind of fighter.
He has 27 wins, and only four of those are by decision.
Volkanovski is a technically strong grappler and uses feints with his jab and kicks to keep his opponents off balance.
Lopes may look to walk Volkanovski down and back him into a corner.
But Lopes’ tendencies are too predictable to get Volkanovski to fall for his games.
The fight is also in Volkanovski’s home country, so if this fight is at all close, I think he gets a decision unless the fight is non-competitive.
PREDICTION: Volkanovski by decision (+190, BetRivers)
Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint Denis
Dan Hooker again finds himself as a massive underdog, this time against Benoit Saint-Denis.
Saint-Denis, a former French Army Special Forces veteran, is a nasty fighter who is similar to Lopes and prefers car crash-type fights.
Hooker has long been known for his durability, and that’s not a good place to be in cage fighting; it really just means you’re good at taking damage and hanging around.
At his best, Hooker is a good striker and a below-average grappler.
Hooker has a tough matchup here as Saint-Denis is a guy who runs through opponents.
Saint-Denis is coming off a knockout win over Beneil Dariush in the first round, and I think we could see more of that this weekend.
Target Saint-Denis to win inside the distance as Hooker’s run against the UFC’s best comes to a close.
PREDICTION: Saint-Denis by KO/TKO (+430, FanDuel) | Saint-Denis inside the distance (-145, BetMGM)
Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps
UFC 325 full card picks
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes: Volkanovski by decision (+190, BetRivers)
Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint-Denis: Saint-Denis by KO/TKO (+430, FanDuel) | Saint-Denis inside the distance (-145, BetMGM)
Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy: Fiziev by decision (+210, FanDuel)
Tai Tuivasa vs. Tallison Teixeira: Teixeira wins in round two (+550, BetMGM)
Quillan Salkilld vs. Jamie Mullarkey: Salkilld by decision (+700, FanDuel)
Junior Tafa vs. Billy Elekana: Elekana wins in over 1.5 rounds (+145, DraftKings)
Cam Rowston vs. Cody Brundage: Rowston ML for parlays
Jacob Malkoun vs. Torrez Finney: Malkoun by decision (+180, BetRivers)
Jonathan Micallef vs. Oban Elliott: Elliott ML (+115, Caesars Sportsbook)
Kaan Ofli vs. Yizha: Yizha ML for parlays
Sangwook Kim vs. Dom Mar Fan: Fan by decision (+190, FanDuel)
Keiichiro Nakamura vs. Sebastian Szalay: Szalay ML (-132, FanDuel)
Sulangrangbo vs. Lawrence Lui: Lui ML (+220, BetMGM)
Aaron Tau vs. Namsrai Batbayar: Tau ML (+105, Caesars Sportsnook)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
