UFC 313 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering, UFC 314 in Miami.
The promotion was in Las Vegas this past week, where the T-Mobile Arena played host to a number of intriguing matchups for its third numbered event of the year. Of note were headline wins for Magomed Ankalaev and Justin Gaethje, as well as important victories for Ignacio Bahamondes, Amanda Lemos, and Mauricio Ruffy.
While the aftermath of the March 8 card is currently the talk of the town, it won’t be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the light heavyweight title picture to the featherweight championship conversation.
At UFC 314, set for the Kaseya Center on April 12, former champion Alexander will open his account for the new year. Following Ilia Topuria's decision to vacate the 145-pound gold and move up to lightweight, the Australian will battle the surging Diego Lopes for the belt.
Stakes will also be high in the co-headliner, as former three-time Bellator kingpin Michael Chandler looks to defend his spot in the pecking order at 155 pounds and reignite his title ambitions. To do so, the American must become the first to beat Paddy Pimblett inside the UFC Octagon.
Silva, Prates, Reyes Set The Stage For High-Profile Headliners At UFC 314
Before Volkanovski, Lopes, Chandler, and Pimblett make the walk, a number of notable names will take to the Octagon looking to make the most of their position on the major UFC 314 card.
That includes charging featherweight Jean Silva. Less than two months on from his latest crushing knockout victory in Seattle, "Lord" will get his first crack at the rankings opposite Bryce Mitchell in Miami.
Prior to that, another Fighting Nerds product will make the walk in Carlos Prates. He, too, will have the chance to climb a divisional ladder, as he shares the cage with longtime welterweight contender Geoff Neal.
And opening the UFC 314 main card will be former two-time light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes. Having returned to winning ways with consecutive triumphs, "The Devastator" will look to edge closer to the top five at the expense of Nikita Krylov.
Those pairings have currently gotten the nod to feature on the main card over MMA legend Patrício Pitbull, who is slated to top the prelims in his debut fight versus ex-interim UFC featherweight champ Yair Rodríguez.
See below for the full UFC 314 card, as it stands.
Main Card:
- Featherweight Championship: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes
- Lightweight: Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett
- Featherweight: Bryce Mitchell vs. Jean Silva
- Welterweight: Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates
- Light Heavyweight: Nikita Krylov vs. Dominick Reyes
Preliminary Card:
- Featherweight: Yair Rodríguez vs. Patrício Pitbull
- Featherweight: Dan Ige vs. Sean Woodson
- Women's Strawweight: Yan Xiaonan vs. Virna Jandiroba
- Lightweight: Jim Miller vs. Chase Hooper
Early Preliminary Card:
- Featherweight: Darren Elkins vs. Julian Erosa
- Middleweight: Sedriques Dumas vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
- Flyweight: Sumudaerji vs. Mitch Raposo
- Featherweight: Alberto Montes vs. Roberto Romero
- Middleweight: Tresean Gore vs. Marco Tulio
- Women's Bantamweight: Nora Cornolle vs. Hailey Cowan
