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UFC 325: Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint Denis among top undercard fights to watch

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There’s a premium on excitement in the UFC Paramount era. A quick scan through UFC 325’s main card and it’s difficult to find a boring fight when the promotion returns to Sydney.

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, arguably the best featherweight ever, defends his title against Diego Lopes, a formidable dual offensive threat. Volkanovski’s pedigree alone is worth tuning in for, but the supporting players offer a different flavor. Every main card fight leading into main event will probably end in a knockout. The production team will have their work cut out for them trying to piece together all the highlights.

Sign up for Paramount+ and watch UFC 325 live on Saturday night for no additional fee — every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with the price of your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!

Ahead of UFC 325, take a look at three can’t-miss fights. Plan your bathroom breaks carefully for this one.

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Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint Denis

Lightweight fighters don’t cut corners. The deepest division in the sport has long been one of its most exciting. Coming off of Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett last week, UFC fans are treated to another all-action collision between a rising star and a veteran. Hooker is one of the toughest predators in a shark-infested lightweight division. In 2023, he gritted through a fractured arm and orbital bone to beat Jalin Turner. His 2020 clash with Dustin Poirier is fondly remembered as arguably the best fight that year. Hooker has been an elite lightweight for a long time, but has often been a half-step behind his contemporaries. A win on Saturday almost guarantees him one more high-profile fight in a career full of them. 

Saint Denis is cut from a different cloth. The French special forces soldier has knocked out or tapped out every opponent he has beaten. He fell short of high expectations against Poirier and Renato Moicano, but rejuvenated himself after switching teams. Saint Denis now trains with top middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov. It’s done wonders for his career, empowering him to a three-fight win streak. Beating Hooker is a big deal, but what comes after is truly exciting. Saint Denis is knocking on the door of the lightweight elite. With a growing reputation as the division’s most potent offensive force, there are only big fights on his horizon.

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Rafael Fiziev vs. Mauricio Ruffy

UFC fans are being treated to a swathe of exciting lightweight fights to start the Paramount+ era: Gaethje vs. Pimblett, Hooker vs. Sanit Denis and Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira. The lightweight showcase continues here. Fiziev is the better pure Muay Thai lightweight striker, but two losses to Gaethje stopped him from advancing in the division. He looks to rebuild against a fellow finisher. Ruffy is a true KO artist, knocking out 11 of his 12 victims. The Brazilian striker came to prominence with The Fighting Nerds but started training with UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski after his loss to Saint Denis. Ruffy’s fellow Fighting Nerds, Carlos Prates and Jean Silva, got back on track after a tough start to 2025. Ruffy plans to do the same. It’s not often that two fighters with spinning wheel KOs on their resume fight each other. That tells you everything you need to know about Fiziev vs. Ruffy.

Quillan Salkilld vs. Jamie Mullarkey

This entry is more about a fighter than the fight. Salkilld spun heads, figuratively and literally, with a nasty head kick KO against longtime UFC veteran Nasrat Haqparast. Salkilld’s stoppage was awarded CBS Sports’ 2025 KO of the Year. The ferocious kick left Haqparast unconscious for several minutes. It was a scary sight for everyone, even Salkilld looked concerned. Fortunately, Haqparast came to. The memorable finish raised Salkilld’s profile, and he has the potential to be a reliable Oceanic star. Mullarkey, a seven-year UFC veteran struggling with consistency, steps up on short notice against the rising prospect. It’s a battle of West vs. East Australia in Sydney.

Honorable mention: Tai Tuivasa vs. Tallison Texieira

Who wins Volkanovski vs. Lopes, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since May 19, 2018, and find out.

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French footballer Kanté to join Turkish club after Erdogan intervenes to push transfer

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F‍rench footballer N’Golo Kanté has ​joined the Turkish side Fenerbahce after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan intervened to push through a transfer deal with Saudi club Al-Ittihad. 

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NFL fans react to Micah Parsons filming female cheerleaders at Pro Bowl

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Miach Parsons was named to the Pro Bowl in his first year with the Green Bay Packers. Although the superstar defensive end was in San Francisco to attend the Pro Bowl festivities on Tuesday, he was on an electric scooter while moving around Moscone Center due to his knee injury. In one of the videos from the festivities that went viral on social media, Parsons was spotted filming the female cheerleaders doing a routine for the crowd.

When fans caught wind of the video clip in which Parsons was filming the cheerleaders while on an electric scooter, they slammed the Packers star.

“Creep behavior,” one tweeted.

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“Nfl star or creep in training,” another added.

“He not slick,” a third commented.

Here are a few more reactions.

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“NAH THIS IS MESSED TF UP,” one wrote.

“Kinda hate that this streamer a*s dude is a packer now. Like bruh… get us to the nfc championship mr highest paid ever,” another added.

“Tell that lame a*s podcaster to show up in the playoffs. Don’t nobody care bout Micah,” a user tweeted.

Micah Parsons finished the 2025 season with 41 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 6.5 stuffs, two forced fumbles and one pass defended. However, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos.

Although Parsons helped the Packers qualify for the playoffs, his team was eliminated in the wildcard round with a 31-27 loss to the Chicago Bears.

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Micah Parsons explains how his relationship with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones soured last offseason

Green Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons - Source: GettyGreen Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons - Source: Getty
Green Bay Packers DE Micah Parsons – Source: Getty

Micah Parsons’ relationship with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones soured last offseason, which led to the team trading the DE to the Packers in August. On Tuesday, Parsons opened up his acrimonious split with the Cowboys.

“I just wish some of those things never happened. You know what I mean?,” Parsons told Clarence Hill of All City DLLS Cowboys. “I wish that he never brought me into the office and just let the agent speak. And I wish he hadn’t compromised our relationship. I thought me and Jerry had a good relationship up to that point until this offseason, and it’s sad that it went to sh*t like that.”

Parsons played four years with the Cowboys, earning a Pro Bowl selection in each season. He signed a 4-year, $188 million extension with the Packers after the Cowboys traded him last year.