Alexander Volkanovski, Diego Lopes' Next Best Fights After UFC 325 Results

Alexander Volkanovski is still "The Great" in the featherweight division after holding on to his UFC featherweight title with a unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes at UFC 325.

Adding another title defense to his resume just continues the legacy that he's built at featherweight, but it still feels like a bridge to a much bigger fight in his next bout.

The booking of Lopes in this spot was a bit controversial. He had some bright spots in the first fight with Volkanovski, but probably not enough to jump back to the front of the line.

Now Volkanovski has some notable options for what could be a record-tying seventh title defense in the featherweight division.

Let's take a look at what could be next for him and the best bookings for Lopes as he hopes to get back in contention.

Volkanovski's Next Best Fights

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Movsar Evloev

Movsar Evloev

Lerone Murphy

Aljamain Sterling

Volkanovski has made a point to say he wants to remain active. He's 37 years old and knows he can't continue doing this forever. The fact that he's had this kind of success in a division that tends to favor younger fighters is impressive in his own right.

Many would have said that Movsar Evloev deserved to be in Lopes's spot at UFC 325. The 31-year-old is 19-0 and his inactivity is probably the only reason he hasn't earned a shot at the title yet.

Others would have pointed to Lerone Murphy as next in line. He's unbeaten at 14-0-1 with wins over Aaron Pico and Josh Emmett.

But Volkanovski could strategically push for those two to fight one another while he takes on another challenge. He's one defense away from tying Jose Aldo's record with seven successful defenses in the featherweight division.

If he wants that historic opportunity to come against someone from the old guard of contenders then it would make sense to book a bout against Aljamain Sterling.

Sterling beat Brian Ortega in his last bout and has never shared the cage with Volkanovski. He was once the champion of the bantamweight division and has successfully transitioned to featherweight.

Lopes's Next Best Fights

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Patricio Pitbull

Patricio Pitbull

Lerone Murphy

Brian Ortega

Lopes might have lost another fight to Volkanovski, but that isn't a career-killer. His exciting style and overall resume means we'll likely see him around the top of the division for a while.

However, the UFC might want to give him a favorable matchup in his next bout. Losing to the champ twice is going to bring his stock down for a while and another loss would tank him further.

Patricio Pitbull feels like the perfect mix of relevant, exciting and winnable. The former Bellator star lost his UFC debut to Yair Rodriguez, but came back with a win over Dan Ige.

Both fighters would be out to prove they deserve to be in the top five of the division. Both have a history of exciting fights.

Then again, the UFC could decide to give him whoever doesn't get the next crack at Volkanovski between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy. Both unbeaten rising contenders have a strong case, but the UFC can only give one the shot.

It would make sense for it also to determine what is next for Lopes.

Lopes has already fought Ortega. He beat him by unanimous decision, but it's a compelling style matchup that could give him a chance to remind everyone why he already got two cracks at the belt.