Full Card for UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes

Alexander Volkanovski returns after the longest layoff in his career, 14 months. It has been over one year since Volk fought, and it has been 20 months since the former champion won a fight. No. 1 Volkanovski will face No. 3 Diego Lopes in the Main Event of UFC 314 in Miami, Florida, for the vacant UFC Featherweight championship.

This is the first fight that Volk has entered the Octagon, not as a UFC Featherweight Champion, since December 2019. Five and a half years. That is how long Volkanovski was the Featherweight king for. But Volk hasn’t done it the traditional way. Because Volk is everything but ordinary, he has always chased greatness. 

This time, when Volk enters the Octagon, it won’t be as a challenger, but it will be one where he attempts to regain the UFC featherweight championship. Saturday will be Volks’ 10th straight title fight, which is tied for the seventh most in history. Don’t let the last image that you saw of Volkanovski fool your memory. Yes, Volk was knocked out by Ilia Topuria in his previous bout. But that was Volk’s first defeat and knockout loss at Featherweight in his career. 

Even though Volk has lost his last two fights, losing isn’t normal for him. He has only suffered three defeats in his 13-year MMA Career. From 2013 to 2023, Volk won 22 straight fights en route to becoming one of the three greatest featherweight champions in promotion history.

Although Volkanovski is the favorite in this bout at -142 on DraftKings Sportsbook, he is still being doubted. Lopes is the new exciting fighter that the fans love. He has won five straight fights while having three finishes. But Volk has thrived while being doubted in the past, and if anyone can bounce back, it’s him.

The co-main event features an exciting lightweight bout between No. 7 “Iron” Michael Chandler vs. No. 12 Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett. Chandler is 2-4 in the UFC Octagon, but his record doesn’t tell the whole story about his run. All of his losses in the UFC came against a former UFC Undisputed or Interim Champion. Chandler’s last victory was almost three years ago, against Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 in May 2022. Pimblett is the favorite at -148, as Chandler is +124.

Pimblett, 30, is coming off the best win of his career when he submitted King Green at UFC 304 in July 2024. Although Chandler hasn’t been a UFC champion and is 38 years old, he is still as tough as it gets in the lightweight division. Both fighters in this bout are well-rounded and have a variety of ways to win this contest. Chandler is the better striker on the feet, landing 0.45 more significant strikes per minute at a 45 percent rate. Pimblett is the better wrestler, but Chandler has shown in the past that he doesn’t get held down for long when on the mat.

Former Featherweight Interim Champion No. 5 Yair Rodriguez is returning after two straight losses. Rodriguez is fighting UFC debutant but isn’t any newcomer to the promotion. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire is a former Bellator three-time featherweight and lightweight champion. Pitbull won 12 title fights in Bellator and is one of the greatest fighters never to enter the Octagon. But that changes on Saturday. Pitbull is making his UFC debut and jumping straight into the deep end by facing Rodriguez. In this bout, Rodriguez is a -205 favorite while Pitbull is a +170 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Fighters coming off a loss to fight for a title are 20-40-1, while those who have lost two straight fights are 1-5 in title fights. History is not on Volkanovski’s side, but he seems to have tapped into a new deminer this week. Can Volk become the second two-time 145-pound champion, or will Lopes’ hot streak continue?

The Early Prelims begin at 6:00 p.m. ET, with the Prelims starting at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Main Card on ESPN+ PPV begins at 10:00 p.m. ET. Check out the entire 13-fight card below.

Main Card | 10:00 p.m. ET | PPV

Early Prelims | 6:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+/ Disney+