UFC 325 Main Card Odds, Picks & Predictions (2026)
UFC 324 was epic last weekend, and the promotion is following it up with another elite card this weekend at UFC 325. All roads lead to a Featherweight championship rematch between (C) Alexander Volkanovski and (#2) Diego Lopes, and you can check out our preview and best bet for the main event through our UFC page. Below, I'll dive into the three fights leading up the main event, each of which are top-15 clashes. Here are my top bets for UFC 325, which takes place on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
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UFC 325 Main Card Odds, Picks & Predictions (2025)
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Dan Hooker (+250) vs. Benoit Saint Denis (-310)
The co-main event comes in the Lightweight division, and it should be an absolute war between (#6) Dan Hooker and (#8) Benoit Saint Denis. The Frenchman, who's riding a three-fight winning streak, is a sizable -310 moneyline favorite.
I'm heading to the prop sheet for the co-main event, and I'm locking in Dan Hooker to clear 36.5 significant strikes. When you look back at Hooker's losses, they've come against elite competition, with him dropping bouts against Dustin Poirier (U-DEC), Michael Chandler (KO-Punch), Islam Makhachev (SUB-Kimara), and Arman Tsarukyan (SUB-Arm Triangle), most recently. I'm just not ready to say that Benoit Saint Denis is of that caliber yet (well... maybe he's nearing the Chandler tier).
So, I expect this fight to last long enough for Hooker to rack up 37+ strikes. Saint Denis poses a serious threat to Hooker, but one metric that stands out to me is that Saint Denis' strike defense rate is just 42%. That means 58% of his opponents' significant strikes are landing! He's tough as nails, too, having not suffered a knockout across his 20-fight career (16-3, 1 NC). This has all the makings of what could be a magical slobberknocker, where these guys are just hammering each other for 15 minutes. Give me Hooker to go over 36.5 significant strikes.
Pick: Dan Hooker Over 36.5 Significant Strikes (-115)
Rafael Fiziev (+100) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (-120)
The oddsmakers say to flip a coin in this Lightweight tilt between (#9) Rafael Fiziev and (#14) Mauricio Ruffy. From a sports betting angle, it's the tightest-lined fight on the card, which shows the Brazilian Ruffy as a slight -120 favorite.
I'm taking Rafael Fiziev to win this fight at even-money. Really, this one just boils down to the edge that he'll have in wrestling. We just saw Mauricio Ruffy get ragdolled by the aforementioned Saint Denis, conceding three takedowns and 4:38 worth of ground control time before being submitted 2:56 into the second round.
Fiziev has been leaning on his wrestling quite a bit recently, amassing six takedowns in his two recent fights. He boasts a 72% takedown success rate, suggesting it works when he wants to use it. The Kazak brawler is easily the more battle-tested of the two fighters as well, having shared the octagon with warriors like Renato Moicano (W-KO), Justin Gaethje (L-DEC), and Mateusz Gamrot (L-KO). Fiziev's a monster, and I think he has more in his arsenal compared to Ruffy. I'll back him to pick up his second consecutive victory.
Pick: Rafael Fiziev Moneyline (+100)
Tai Tuivasa (+275) vs. Tallison Teixeira (-345)
The Heavyweight division hasn't produced a ton of thrilling fights recently, but this should be a banger between two knockout artists in (#12) Tai Tuivasa and (#15) Tallison Teixeira. The latter, who is coming off of a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Derrick Lewis, is a large -345 favorite against Tuivasa.
The +350 payout that comes with a Tai Tuivasa knockout is just too tempting. I mean, of his 22 fights, he has gone 14-8 with 13 knockouts!
Additionally, we just saw the Brazilian prospect, Tallison Teixeira, get stonewalled in only 35 seconds against Derrick Lewis last time out. I think it's fair to question how he'll look coming off of his first professional loss (now 8-1). On the other hand, we've seen Tuivasa in the octagon with some monsters, including Lewis (W-KO), Ciryl Gane (L-KO), and Alexander Volkov (L-SUB). He's had nearly an 18-month layoff to refocus, and I think he's a live underdog fighting on his home soil in Sydney. It's worth at least a sprinkle to bet that Tuivasa will snap his five-fight slide, and we'll be treated to an epic "shoey" down under.
Pick: Tai Tuivasa To Win By KO/TKO/DQ (+350)