This Saturday, April 12, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is back in Miami, Florida. UFC 314 features a Main Event between No. 1 Alexander Volkanovski vs. No. 3 Diego Lopes for the UFC Featherweight Championship. No. 7 “Iron” Michael Chandler faces No. 12 Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett in the co-main event.
The Main Card begins at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV. Here are my two best bets for UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes.
Alexander Volkanovski Moneyline (-142)
This is a must-win situation for Volkanovski. With a loss against Lopes, Volk likely will never receive a title opportunity in his career. Volkanovski is 36 and attempting to become the second two-time featherweight champion. Volk has been off for 14 months, which has positives and negatives. During fight week, the time away seems to have rejuvenated Volkanovski.
Lopes is taller by five inches (5’11” vs. 5’6″) but only possesses a one-inch advantage in reach (72″ vs. 71″). Volk is comfortable being the smaller fighter, as in most of his fights. Lopes has shown he has knockout power on the feet, but Volkanovski’s striking is on a different level. Volk lands 6.16 significant strikes per minute, almost two more than Lopes.
Also, Lopes has limited experience with a high-level striker like Volk. If this is strictly a stand-up matchup, Volkanovski has all the tools to win his first fight in 20 months. You can get Volkanovski at -142 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Michael Chandler Moneyline (+124)
Even though the circumstances differ, Chandler is in a similar position to Volkanovski. Chandler has been exciting in his UFC tenure, but is 2-4 in the promotion. At 38, Chandler is facing a perfect opponent in Pimblett, one of the division’s best rising stars.
Chandler’s last victory came at UFC 274 in May 2022 against Tony Ferguson. Pimblett is undefeated in the UFC but hasn’t fought a tough veteran like Chandler yet. Although Pimblett has three submissions in the UFC, Chandler averages more takedowns per 15 minutes. Chandler has gotten into wars on the feet, but it could be wise for him to mix in some takedowns.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Chandler is +124 while Pimblett is the -148 favorite. If Chandler has a brilliant game plan on attacking Pimblett early in the contest while showing improved defense, he will have a great chance to pull off the upset.
