UFC 325 Betting Preview: Three Bet Picks for Saturday Night

A week after the UFC kicked off the Paramount era with UFC 324, the promotion is back with a second straight numbered card in UFC 325. UFC 325 takes place on January 31 (February 1 in Australia) from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

The main event features a featherweight championship rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. Volkanovski regained the then-vacant title when he defeated Lopes in the main event of UFC 314 last April. Lopes has since rebounded with a highlight finish of Jean Silva in the main event of Noche UFC 3 in September.

The co-main event should be a slugfest as Dan Hooker takes on Benoit Saint-Denis. Hooker enters off a loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Qatar in November, which snapped a three-fight win streak. Saint-Denis comes in riding a three-fight win streak of his own, most recently knocking out Beneil Dariush at UFC 322.

The rest of the main card features Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy, Tai Tuivasa vs. Tallison Teixeira, and Quillan Salkilld vs. Jamie Mullarkey.

TAI TUIVASA VS. TALLISON TEIXEIRA

I know not everybody is on the Tallison Teixeira hype train. I’m hopeful for him after he established himself as a prospect on the regional scene, but we haven’t seen much time from him in the Octagon. And I’m well aware he’s coming off a loss to Derrick Lewis.

But as much as Teixeira is the hometown man, this bet is really an anti–Tai Tuivasa play. Tuivasa has lost five straight fights; most fighters would not get another UFC opportunity in that state. Yet he remains ranked at heavyweight, which really speaks to how weak the division is.

Even if Tuivasa knows his job is on the line, the upside Teixeira presents — combined with the four finishes Tuivasa has suffered in his last five fights — gives me serious doubts.

BET: Teixeira via KO/TKO (FanDuel: -170)

QUILLAN SALKILLD VS. JAMIE MULLARKEY

Did you know that Quillan Salkilld’s parents own a bakery? Because that line has been sent into memehood thanks to his incredible head-kick knockout of Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 321. That win moved him to 3-0 in the UFC after coming through Dana White’s Contender Series, with a pair of first-round finishes that earned performance bonuses.

Jamie Mullarkey is a tough fighter I respect, but six of his eight career losses have come via KO/TKO, including three of his last five bouts. With Salkilld looking to handle business quickly — and a new $25,000 incentive for doing so — this could be a rough night for the Australian.

BET: Salkilld vs. Mullarkey UNDER 1.5 rounds (Caesars: -150)

JACOB MALKOUN VS. TORREZ FINNEY

UFC CEO Dana White was initially skeptical about signing Torrez Finney but gave him the opportunity anyway. His fight with Robert Valentin showed that while Finney can compete at the UFC level, there are still areas for development.

Jacob Malkoun presents a different challenge. Although he hasn’t fought since March 2024, he is capable of matching Finney’s grappling, which could neutralize Finney’s strengths. While the fight could see some striking exchanges, this feels like a grappling-heavy bout that goes to the judges. In that scenario, I trust Malkoun’s skill set more.

BET: Malkoun moneyline (Caesars: -140)