UFC 314 Fight Preview: Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes

UFC 314 is set to land in Miami, Florida, with a vicious fight card. Headlining it is the 145-pound goat, Alexander Volaknovski, who is getting back to action after losing his belt a year ago against Ilia Topuria. Opposite him will be another young phenom, Diego Lopes, who has earned the right to challenge for the title, thanks to a stellar display of wins with the organization.

The co-main event promises nothing short of a spectacle as Michael Chanlder clashes with the Baddy, Liverpool’s own Paddy Pimblett. Chandler has never been in a boring fight once entering the UFC, while Pimblett is ready to prove everyone wrong and could even challenge for the title if he defeats Chandler. 

As far as the rest of the UFC 314 fight card goes, it is stacked, top to bottom. Bryce Mitchell vs. Jean Silva has already turned into a grudge match. Nikita Krylov vs. Dominick Reyes is going to be a slug fest, while Yair Rodríguez is getting ready to welcome Patrício Pitbull to the UFC, something that many fans have been hoping to see for years now. 

Main Fight: Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes

While most of us were expecting the rematch between Ilia Topuria and Alex Volaknovski to be announced, El Matador decided to quit the division, vacate the belt, and move to Lightweight and started calling himself La Leienda. The matchmakers quickly fixed things up by setting Volkanovski against Diego Lopes, ranked 3rd in the division and the fighter who been challenging for the belt for some time.

Volk is coming off a knockout loss against Topuria and is currently 1-3 in his last four fights, dropping two in a row and being defeated by Islam Makhachev twice. But, as Volaknovski states himself, he wasn’t himself at that moment and has been battling personal problems that caused him to jump in the cage earlier than he should have. If we get Alexander the Great that we know, at 36 years of age, he is still has a legitimate shot at the title.

Diego Lopes is on a five-fight win tear, three of those were stoppage wins. His last win was a decision win versus Brian Ortega, wich was his biggest win in his career. Lopes is a well-rounded fighter and can hit you on the fit as well as on the mat. But he lacks the experience that Volkanovski has. This is going to be his first five-fight event and will also put his cardio to the test.

This one is truly tough to call, but I would lean towards Volkanovski getting his title back. When dialed in, there is no one who can defeat Volaknovski, and this should be one of those situations.

Co-Main Event: Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett

Most likely an early fight of the night contender, Chandler vs Pimblett should be a fight that will rock our socks off. Chandler is known for his spectacular fights even before he joined the UFC. Even though he has been on a losing streak lately and has dropped four in his last five fights, the crowd still wants to see him perform. 

The same as Chanlder, Pimblett is here to entertain. The only difference is that the Baddy is producing results. Most would say that he has been spoonfed easier opponents when making a jump from Cage Warriors. But the thing is that he has been slowly getting up in competition and earning his stripes as he goes on.

Wins against veterans Tony Ferguson and King Green were impressive. But in some people’s eyes not enough to call him a contender. If he ousts Chandler ,he may be a single fight away from a title fight.

Both fighters are excellent wrestlers, with Paddy having better Jiu-Jitsu skills.  However, Chandler is much more vicious in his standup. For that reason, Paddy might want to get things on the ground as quickly as possible and hope that he has the chops to counter Chandler’s wrestling. Paddy is the favourite, and I aim to stand with the favourite this time. A bold prediction is that Chandler gets submitted, which could launch Pimblett into title fight status almost immediately.

UFC 314 Predictions: Rest of the Card

There is a lot that I could say about the rest of the UFC 314 fight card. It is literally stacked. But the one that stands out the most is the Bryce Mitchell vs. Jean Silva bout. The two already got into it at the press conference, which was fueled by Mitchell’s recent controversy. The Fighting Nerd Silva promised to knock Mitchell out, and I believe him. Mitchell will try to bring the fight to the ground, but Silva is much more well-rounded than people think and does have a decent takedown defense game.

Yair Rodriguez welcomes Patrício Pitbull to the UFC in what should be an action-packed slug fest. While most think that Pitbull is past his prime and not able to compete at this level, I would say that this is a perfect opportunity for him to show how much he is worth against an entertaining and seasoned fighter in the form of Yair. So, there is a big chance that Rodriguez takes this one.

Finally, Light Heavyweights collide as Nikita Krylov battles Dominick Reyes. We are bound to see a stoppage in this one. The Devestator has been reviving his career with two KO wins in his last two fights. I would say that the streak continues, with Krylov being his next target.

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