UFC 314 Volkanovski vs. Lopes PPV Pay Per View 4/12/25

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has not staged a full-blown pay-per-view (PPV) event in over a month, so it’s nice to get out of the APEX and gather ‘round for a fully loaded fight card (even if it costs an arm and a leg). It also feels weird to be gearing up for a PPV show that’s not headlined by Alex Pereira, which is a testament to how busy the former champ has been over the last two years (and how special he makes it feel).

This weekend’s offering is UFC 314, headlined by the vacant featherweight title fight pitting former 145-pound kingpin, Alex Volkanovski, against No. 3-ranked title contender, Diego Lopes. The co-headlining attraction has lightweight action man, Michael Chandler, throwing hands opposite streaking scouser, Paddy Pimblett, with “Iron” risking his spot in the Top 10 of the official 155-pound rankings (see the Top 15 ). Former UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon after more than a year on the sidelines, a rest he unquestionably needed in the wake of back-to-back knockout losses opposite Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, the latter of which cost “The Great” his 145-pound title. Much has been made about the frequency of title fights from former light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira, and rightly so, but let’s not forget that before “Poatan” was banging out PPV cards left and right, Volkanovski cranked out six UFC title fights in less than two years, yet another reason the Aussie needed some time off.

Diego Lopes has been a fun and exciting addition to the featherweight division with an impressive record to match his considerable hype. After a debut loss to Movsar Evloev, Lopes rattled off five straight wins, which includes his UFC 306 decision over two-time title challenger Brian Ortega. In terms of star power, that’s the biggest name on the Brazilian’s hit list, which probably would have been impressive five years ago. These days, Ortega does more complaining than actual fighting and chose to move up in weight because it appears that maintaining a featherweight physique is not worth the effort. Before that, Lopes outworked Dan Ige and knocked around the likes of Sodiq Yusuff and Pat Sabatini. These are all good fighters ... but not anywhere near the level of Volkanovski. Lopes has slick submissions and knockout power but his technique tends to be a little sloppy once things start heating up inside the cage. If the bandwagoners are right and Volkanovski is indeed washed, then expect Lopes to win by knockout in the first frame. Otherwise, I expect Volkanovski to be the crisper, cleaner striker who prevails in scrambles and keeps himself out of danger on the mat. The former champ does a better job of putting it all together and has already proven himself against the best fighters in the world — and you can even make an argument for his first Makhachev fight. Expect Lopes to become a Dustin Poirier or Justin Gaethje type of featherweight — one exciting fight after another — but always falling short of the promotion’s top prize.

Bryce Mitchell is a good example of how a fighter’s personality can be conflated with his (or her) personal success. There’s really no reason for “Thug Nasty” to be a two-to-one betting underdog against an unproven commodity in Jean Silva. That’s not to diminish anything we’ve seen from the former “Contender Series” standout, but what is this obsession the MMA industry has with new toys? I’m not going to anoint Silva the next big thing at 145 pounds because he beat up a 36 year-old Westin Wilson. Are we really that excited for a victory over ... Melsik Baghdasaryan? Mitchell has fought and defeated superior competition in his UFC career, like Edson Barboza and Dan Ige, two veterans who are no strangers to the featherweight rankings. Mitchell doesn’t get the respect he deserves as a fighter because he’s such an idiot outside the cage, power drilling his own nuts, praising Hitler, and arguing over the shape of the earth. Hey Bryce, no one cares about your conversations with Jesus ... just go out there and fight.