"The second UFC numbered event of the year took place Saturday across the globe in Sydney, bringing a slew of early submissions and dominant performances. The main event was a rematch of last April's featherweight title match between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. And after another robust performance from the Australian champion, it's safe to say we probably didn't need a Volk-Lopes Part 2."
"Sometimes the critics are right. We didn't need to see this rematch. The UFC gets a lot of its matchmaking right. This one was a miss. There was no reason to run this fight back 10 months after the first meeting. What makes it worse is that Volkanovski is 37. He doesn't have many championship fights left. He didn't want the rematch, but he's never going to turn down a fight."
"None of this is meant as a criticism of Lopes. He put forth a great effort in both contests, and he did his job in September by knocking out a very dangerous Jean Silva. No one can criticize Lopes, but they can criticize the UFC on this one. Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy would have been a far better choice. Volkanovski should have been fighting someone else on Saturday. -- Brett Okamoto"
The Sydney UFC event featured numerous early submissions and dominant performances across the card. The main event was a featherweight rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes, with Volkanovski producing another strong, clinical performance. The rematch felt unnecessary given the prior lopsided meeting and Volkanovski's age-related limited championship future at 37. Diego Lopes performed admirably in both fights but the matchmaking drew criticism, with names like Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy suggested as more meaningful challengers. The lightweight division showcased emerging talent, including a notably impressive win by Benoît Saint Denis toward contender status.
Read at ESPN.com
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