Biggest Winner: Alexander Volkanovski
If anyone thought “The Great” was going to cough up his title so easily after finally winning it back in his last bout, they were sorely disappointed after Volkanovski put on a vintage performance against Lopes, defeating him for the second straight time via unanimous decision. “The Great” was firing on all cylinders and secures his first title defense against the very same man he defeated to win the vacant strap in April 2025. With Lopes now in his rear-view mirror likely forever, “The Great” can focus on a new challenge for his next title defense. Volkanovski showed some youthfulness inside the cage which leads fight fans to believe that he can go on another lengthy title defense. And he is going to needs to be on his A-game because he has young challengers such as Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev waiting in the wings for their shot.
Runner Up: Benoit Saint Denis
“God of War” put on one heck of a performance against Dan Hooker by dominating “The Hangman” from the opening bell. His pace and pressure was amazing and he didn’t give his for much room to breathe or to pop off any offense whatsoever. Once he got Hooker down on the mat in the second round he put one an impressive ground-and-pound performance, brutalizing his foe with one vicious strike after another until Herb Dean FINALLY decided to step in and put an end to the fight. With the victory, Saint Denis has now won four straight fights and could be staring at a possible spot in the Top 5.
Biggest Loser: Tai Tuivasa
Things have gone from bad to downright horrible for Tuivasa as he has now lost six straight fights inside the Octagon. To make matters worse his performance was downright terrible. He was taken down quickly, he gassed even faster and when he finally had Tallison Teixiera hurt in the third round, he was too tired to do anything. When he had the chance to pile on the punishment on the ground, he rested, instead. It was not a good look for “Bam Bam” in front of the hometown crowd. He is still a fan-favorite, but he is not making it easy for the UFC powers that be to keep him on the bloated roster since he hasn’t had a win in four years. There is no telling if he’ll be around long enough to turn it around for himself inside the Octagon.
