Diego Lopes will be fighting Alexander Volkanovski once again for the undisputed UFC featherweight title at UFC 325 on Jan. 31 LIVE on Paramount+ from Sydney, Australia, whether you like it or not.

Fight fans were thrown a bit of a curveball on Thanksgiving Day after UFC CEO Dana White announced some bombshell matchups to begin the promotion’s partnership with Paramount+ in 2026. This includes two title fights at UFC 324 set for Jan. 24 in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as Lopes’ rematch with Volkanovski that will headline UFC’s return to Australia one week later.

As expected, UFC matchmakers have caught some initial flack for booking a rematch between Lopes and Volkanovski. That’s because Volkanovski already defeated Lopes at UFC 314 back in April 2025. That’s less than one year ago and Lopes is already fighting for the 145-pound belt again. He is coming off a high-profile TKO win over Jean Silva this past September (highlights HERE), but the UFC’s featherweight division is flush with readily-available contenders, including Movsar Evloev (who has won nine-straight fights and holds a win over Lopes) and Lerone Murphy (who is on a nine-fight fight streak). Lopes may be the most popular contender in the division, but he certainly isn’t the most deserving.

Lopes, who is more than happy to fight for another UFC title, took to social media on Friday to deliver a message to all of his haters. The fan-favorite fighter suggested that other contenders were “sitting around,” which allowed him to score his rematch with Volkanovski, who was surprised by the booking as well.

Check it out below:

“My face when I saw everyone crying,” wrote Lopes accompanied by a smiling emoji (via X). “Sitting around, he won’t give you a title fight. Get to work and stop whining on social media.”

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