Dana White’s 2026 fight announcements have left a couple of contenders less than pleased.
The UFC President revealed a number of high-profile fights scheduled for 2026 at the halftime of the Cowboys and Chiefs football match on CBS.
After outlining the major matchups set for UFC 324, White confirmed many fans’ worst fears for UFC 325 by announcing a largely unwanted rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes.
The pair will headline the event in the featherweight champion’s home country of Australia on January 31, and one undefeated contender is “hurt” that he wasn’t chosen to head Down Under.
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Alexander Volkanovski made it clear who he wanted to fight after UFC 319, and it was not Diego Lopes…
You couldn’t have scripted it any better. You get a guy who goes in and does a massive knockout like that on a big card, on a nine-fight win streak — I think it’s a bit of a no-brainer… Lerone Murphy, congratulations, see you soon.
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Lerone Murphy says the best don’t fight the best in the UFC amid frustration at title shot snub
Volkanovski defeated Lopes in UFC 314 last April. This result brought him back to the top at 145 lbs for a second reign.
A couple of fresh matchups have caught the eye of ‘Alexander the Great’ since then, both of which would have presented him with the opportunity to take somebody’s ‘0’.
After Volkanovski initially had his eye on Movsar Evloev, Lerone Murphy’s knockout against Aaron Pico in August looked to cement the Englishman as next in line, especially after the champ himself called the fight a “no-brainer.”
White and other UFC executives saw things very differently, much as Murphy was frustrated.
“Missing the opportunity to fight one of featherweight’s GOATS is what hurts me the most,” Murphy…
2025-11-28 11:00:00
