Tuivasa (14-8) has been sidelined since Aug. 2024 and is in dire need of a rebound. The beloved Australian slugger is riding a five-fight losing streak â the longest skid of his career. His most recent outing saw him drop a split decision to Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Before that, he suffered four straight stoppage losses to elite competition, including Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich (watch highlights), and Alexander Volkov.
After ballooning in weight during his layoff, Tuivasa has reportedly returned to proper fight shape with two months to go â but he has a tough test ahead.
Teixeira (8-1) is coming off the first loss of his professional career, a 35-second knockout at the hands of Derrick Lewis â a stoppage that many felt was premature (watch highlights). Before that setback, âXicaoâ bulldozed his way through the competition with eight straight first-round finishes, including a blistering debut knockout of Justin Tafa (watch highlights).
Currently ranked No. 15, Teixeira now has the opportunity to swipe Tuivasaâs No. 12 spot in the division with a statement win.
The UFC want Lopes as their champion.
Volks is old and will likely retire and theyâve offered him a big finish in Australia.
Exactly itâs this stupidity that ruined the JDS vs Velasquez trilogy.
When you are decisively beaten in a championship fight you should have to fight âminimumââ 2 fights before you get another shot.
Volkanovski hasnât fought anyone since he beat Lopes anyway.
Who wants to see this shit apart from Lopesâs family?
TEA
Lopes needs to come in with a game planâŚif not itâs rinse and repeat. The kidâs still young; he doesnât need this right now.
Exactly they are rushing him back too quick for this and it could potentially wreck his career.
The best thing is to go away and win a few fights first and work on what cost you the fight in the first place and come back stronger and better prepared for the rematch if Volk is still the champ.
Volk is going to lose. He barely beat him last time and hes been up his own ass making movies. Diego is going to destroy him this time. I just have a feeling he is going to be undeniable in the next fight. It sux because I really like Volk.
Would have much preferred Volk vs eloev or Murphy
That said Volk is past it imo
Correct. This should be Murphy vs Volk . I pick him over Evloev due to his very nice win over Pico
I donât really care much for Volk/Lopes 2.. the rest of the card is rather meh
âBam Bamâ is back â and he sounds recharged.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight fan favorite Tai Tuivasa finally returns to action at UFC 325 this weekend (Sat., Jan. 31, 2026), taking on dangerous knockout artist Tallison Teixeira inside Qudos Bank Arena in his hometown of Sydney, Australia.
It will mark Tuivasaâs first appearance in more than a year. After a brutal skid that saw him lose five straight fights â four by finish â the Shoey-drinking brawler made the decision to step away entirely in 2025, choosing to reset both mentally and physically rather than rushing back into the fire.
âI feel like I just rushed back into the fights,â Tuivasa told FOX Australia. âI would take a fight, lose. Take a fight, lose. Try again. I would try my hardest, but then lose again. Then I was like âFâk.â I was at a point there where I was running myself downâŚI needed a break, thatâs for sure. Iâm not some super crazy athlete, but I needed a break to get my head right again.â
The 32-year-old admitted burnout played a major role in his struggles, saying the grind of constant training and competition drained the joy from fighting â something he had to rediscover.
Letâs go Alex!
I think you are wrong. I wouldnât bet against Volk in Austrailia either. Volk is going to look even better this time.