UFC 314: B/R Main Card Staff Predictions

UFC 314 has all the makings of an unforgettable card.

It goes down this Saturday in Miami, and while there is only one title fight on the bill, the main card is packed with high-profile matchups that could have massive implications for several divisions.

The headliner will be at featherweight, with former champion Alexander Volkanovski taking on surging contender Diego Lopes for the division's vacant title.

To refresh, reigning champ Ilia Topuria—who is riding KOs of Volkanovski and Max Holloway—has decided to move up to lightweight and will abandon his featherweight belt as a result.

In the co-main event, rising English star Paddy Pimblett will look to take a huge step toward a lightweight title shot against former Bellator champ Michael Chandler, who is the British contender's toughest test to date.

Before we get to that, another former Bellator champ in Patricio "Pitbull" Freire will make his long-awaited UFC debut. He won't get a warm welcome, as he's been matched up with dynamic featherweight knockout artist Yair Rodriguez.

As if that's not enough to get you excited, the main card will be kicked off by a fan friendly featherweight between Jean Silva and Bryce Mitchell, and a clash of light heavyweight contenders between Dominick Reyes and Nikita Krylov.

As always, the B/R combat sports squad has you covered for pre-fight predictions. Here's how we see the UFC 314 main card going down this Saturday.

Tom Taylor: It’s easy to understand why some people are doubting Alexander Volkanovski heading into this fight. He’s 36, and he’s lost three of his last four, and two of those by knockout.

Yet those losses came against Islam Makhachev (twice) and Ilia Topuria, who are two of the best fighters in the world right now. Based on that, I'm not willing to write him off just yet. 

Diego Lopes is good—dangerous on the feet and on the mat—but I don’t think he’s going to show Volkanovski anything he hasn’t seen before. We know the Mexico-based Brazilian is going to come out guns blazing, but I see the former champ weathering the early storm and quickly turning the tide.

From there, it’s just a question of how long it takes him to burn Lopes out. I don’t think it will take long. By the end of the third, Volkanovski will be a champ again.

Prediction: Volkanovski by TKO, Rd. 3

Lyle Fitzsimmons: Pardon the shameless self-promotion, but the contrarian vibes have been intermittently strong lately, yielding picks of Nassourdine Imavov over Israel Adesanya and Magomed Ankalaev over Alex Pereira in the last few months. And whaddya know? They're flaring up again.

I’m as big a Volkanovski fan as there is. And truth be told, I’ll be rooting for him to win Saturday. But as the other guys have pointed out, he’s 36, he’s got a lot of competitive miles on him and his last few results haven’t been so good.

Maybe the layoff has reinvigorated him and he’ll look a lot more like a 26-year-old this weekend. Or maybe putting him in with a younger, hungrier guy is exactly what he doesn’t need at this point.

Prediction: Lopes by TKO, Rd. 2

Nick Akerman: Heed the words of Robert Whittaker, who recently suggested MMA fans have been too quick to dismiss Volk due to his age and form. I agree. Diego Lopes poses a considerable challenge, but please, can we give Volkanovski a little more respect?

I can see this going all the way. Volk needs to utilise his full set of skills and deal with the initial Lopes fizzle, but the dangers don’t end there. Lopes’ decision wins over Bryan Ortega and Dan Ige are evidence of a tough fighter who knows how to keep momentum in his favour. However, I think Volkanovski’s smarts will just about eek out a win in what could be a battle of attrition. 

Prediction: Volkanovski by majority decision

Tom Taylor: This is a hard fight to predict, as both Chandler and Pimblett are prone to getting into pretty wild fights where defense goes out the window. I'm guessing this will turn into one of those fights. 

I can picture Chandler winning a slugfest with Pimblett. After all, we've seen the Brit rocked before, and the former Bellator champ has serious power. However, I’m going to go with the younger man.

Chandler has been in countless wars, and I don't consider him an elite lightweight anymore. Pimblett will hurt him standing and finish him on the mat.

Prediction: Pimblett by submission, Rd. 3

Lyle Fitzsimmons: Readers of these pieces may recall that there are a few UFC hype trains for which I've happily bought tickets. Ian Machado Garry is one of them, and I’ve not regretted it even once.

Paddy Pimblett is the other. I recall him seizing the UFC narrative as we emerged from the COVID years. I'm in the minority that thought he beat Jared Gordon. And I wasn't at all surprised that he handled Tony Ferguson and King Green. 

This, though, is a far tougher fight. Chandler isn't a world champion, but he's closer to that level than either Ferguson was at that stage or Green ever was. He'll fight until it's physically beaten out of him.

The problem for him, though, is that Pimblett is tough enough to get through the firefight and skilled enough to get him to the ground. And at that point, it's done. 

Prediction: Pimblett by submission, Rd. 3

Nick Akerman: I can’t settle on this one at all. I was so firmly behind Chandler getting the win a week ago, yet as an Englishman, it feels blasphemous to suggest one of our best exports is about to get found out at the first major hurdle. With that in mind, Paddy’s focus over the last few days tells me he’s in a good place. His nonchalance is usually a sign that he’s got a big performance in him.

It seems even more prominent after Molly McCann’s recent loss and subsequent exit. The UFC need Paddy to win; he’s a proper star in a company that is lacking big-name draws. I hate the saying, ‘Scousers don’t get knocked out’, because it is going to happen at some point and it’ll blow up in Paddy’s face quite dramatically. Tom mentioned the wildness both men tend to create and if Paddy is to win, he needs to control that. I think he will. I’m going with a mature victory, even if it’s nagging me.

Prediction: Pimblett by submission, Rd. 2

Tom Taylor: This is another really hard fight to predict. That's mainly because Yair Rodriguez is one of the most unpredictable guys in MMA, capable of putting his opponent's lights out at any moment. Just ask "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung. 

That said, I think Freire has the chops to win this one. He's well-rounded and experienced enough to avoid Rodriguez's wild and flashy strikes, and he should be able to finish him in the later rounds—much like Volkanovski did a few years back. 

Prediction: Freire by TKO, Rd. 3

Lyle Fitzsimmons: Not all that long ago, it seemed Rodriguez was one of the company's next big things. He had an interim belt and was a live underdog against Volkanovski in a UFC 290 main event. That didn't go so well, he's lost another since, and now he's essentially a barometer for Freire as the Brazilian arrives following a championship run in the Bellator promotion. 

The newcomer is older and smaller, but I've got to think he's debuting on a main PPV card for a reason other than he'll lose competitively. So, while it's no lock, I'll make that my tiebreaker.

Prediction: Freire by split decision 

Nick Akerman: I love this fight. Any time Yair steps into the octagon you can pretty much guarantee something interesting is going to happen. This is a really exciting first UFC bout for Pitbull, but I think it’s come a little too late in his career for him to get the win. 

Rodriguez always seems to face absolute studs that put him in real danger. He’s used to this stage and he’s incredibly unpredictable. Pitbull hasn’t faced this level of competition in recent years and I think we could see a Chandler-esque style run in the company where he’s extremely competitive yet falling short of the wild expectations. Yair to do something crazy.

Prediction: Rodriguez by TKO, Rd. 2

Tom Taylor: No need to spend a lot of time on this one. Mitchell is very overrated, and he is only capable of beating mediocre grapplers outside the top 15.

There are definitely some fair questions to ask about Silva's ground game heading into this fight, but I don't see that mattering. Every fight starts on the feet, and Silva is powerful and aggressive enough to ensure this one will end there too. 

Prediction: Silva by KO, Rd. 1

Lyle Fitzsimmons: If Mitchell can get the fight to the floor, it's a different conversation. But I agree with the masses who don't think it gets there and Silva will have a significant advantage if that's the case.

Don't expect the "USA" chants to last long in this one.

Prediction: Silva by TKO, Rd. 1

Nick Akerman: I’ve just about got the bad taste of Mitchell vs. Kron Gracie out of my mouth. Like the others, I think this will be pretty straightforward. Silva to brush off his opponent before moving on to better things.

Prediction: Silva by KO, Rd. 1

Tom Taylor: I’ve really enjoyed watching Dominick Reyes turn things around in his last two fights. However, his wins over Dustin Jacoby and Anthony Smith are not enough to convince me he’ll get anywhere near a title shot again—as much as I’d like to see it happen. 

At this point, I think there is a clear line somewhere in the middle of the light heavyweight top 15. He can beat the guys under that line, but he will lose to the guys above it.

I don’t see Krylov getting anywhere near a title shot, but I do think he is above the level of opponent Reyes can beat in 2025, though probably not by much. 

I see him getting the former title challenger to the ground and submitting him, kicking off what should be a finish-filled main card. 

Prediction: Krylov by submission, Rd. 2

Lyle Fitzsimmons: I've got a little sympathy for Reyes. He was as close as you can be to a title five years ago when he dropped a narrow decision to Jon Jones that I thought he deserved. And then three straight losses made him an afterthought.

But while I agree it's been nice to see him get back on the W side a couple of times, I also agree that Krylov is probably at a higher level in April 2025 than Reyes is capable of successfully dealing with.

Smells like a quick finish to me.

Prediction: Krylov by submission, Rd. 1

Nick Akerman: Reyes is really a great example of how MMA can swallow potential greats whole. He deserved to beat Jones. He deserved to be the guy Tom Aspinall is threatening to be, if Jon ever decides to put himself in that kind of trouble again. 

Yet here we are, talking about a guy whose recent uptick is basically seen as a cute little blip before he inevitably gets decked again. I think he can surprise most people this weekend. Krylov is no joke and will look to keep things on the mat. I think Dom can pop him before he manages to do that in a significant way. 

Prediction: Reyes by TKO, Rd. 1