by UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes is at the Kaseya Center in Miami Florida. The card is stacked from top to bottom and each match presents its own intrigue. With that being said, I have picked the seven biggest fights to watch along with a prediction as to whom will win. Let’s get ready for a great night of fights with some fast and furious predictions first.
Jim Miller vs Chase Hooper
Jim Miller has had 57 pro fights, it almost doesn’t seem plausible but for a guy who made his MMA debut in 2005 and his UFC debut in 2009, he has done so much in the sports without ever challenging for a UFC World Championship. He has proven he can win big fights on big nights as he holds victories over guys such as Mac Danzig, Donald Cerrone, Clay Guida, Thiago Alves, Joe Lauzon, Takanori Gomi and Duane Ludwig just to name a few.
Meanwhile his opponent Chasse Hooper is 8-3-1 in the UFC with a recent win over Clay Guida. For Hooper, he has rattled off 4 straight wins and appears to be headed for the Top 10 in the UFC Lightweight Division. A win over Miller can get him there, but a loss, and he will be treading water for the rest of his UFC career, he needs this win.
Prediction – Hooper by Submission.
Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson
Dan Ige was once one of the top contenders in the UFC Lightweight division, that was back in 2020 when he was 14-2 and fresh off of a win over Edson Barboza. Since then he has gone 4 – 6 and has fallen off the contender map. It won’t get any easier for him against a Woodson who has a record of 13-1-1 and hasn’t lost in his last 7 fights. Woodson has only finished 5 of his 15 opponents, so don’t expect a lot of fireworks in this one.
Prediction – Woodson by 29-28 UD
Nikita Krylov vs Dominick Reyes
Reyes walked into his match with Jon Jones on Feb 8, 2020 at 12-0 and a serious threat to stop the GOAT. Many believe he did just that and should have won that fight, however the judges saw it different and he lost a slim split decision to Jones instead. Since that fateful night, Reyes has gone 2-3 and been knocked out 3 times. He needs this win badly to establish confidence once again.
For Krylov, he has everything to gain and nothing to lose as this will be the 40th career fight for the journeyman. He is in for a main card payday and not much else. He will give Reyes a challenge, but if Reyes is on his game, Krylov has little chance.
Prediction – Reyes by KO
Bryce Mitchell vs Jean Silva
Mitchell only has 2 finishes in his 10 fight UFC career. You won’t get a lot of flash out of Mitchell but if Silva slips, Mitchell could sink in a submission. For Silva, he is about as red hot as they come with 12 straight wins, but with the exception of Drew Dober, none of them have been over anyone of note. If Silva wins quickly and violently in this one, he will demand attention soon. He wins a commanding win and not to let Mitchell grind it out to the cards.
Prediction – Silva by TKO
Yair Rodriguez vs Patricio Pitbull
Pitbull has 44 pro fights and is just now making his UFC debut. It doesn’t exactly say much for the guy, but what does is the fact he has wins over Michael Chandler and AJ McKee in his career, so who really knows what we are getting with the Pitbull. As for Rodriguez, he is trying to bounce back from 2 straight losses and 3 losses in his last 5 fights. He hasn’t fought much and hasn’t won a fight in over two years. I’m struggling to figure out why this is on the main card?
Prediction – Rodriguez by Split Decision
Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett
Paddy Pimblett is 6-0 in the UFC and has been turning heads, but he still needs that first career signature win. He has won 8-0 straight fights overall while finishing 6 of them, so it is okay to expect fireworks in this fight.
As for Chandler, he may not be challenging for a UFC title anytime soon, but he is still one of the best in the game at Lightweight and not a pushover for anyone. Chandler has lost 4 of his last 5, but when you factor in that two of those losses were to Charles Oliveria, one was to Dustin Poirier and one to Justin Gaethje it speaks volumes for the level of competition Chandler likes to mix it up with.
Prediction – Chandler by decision
For the UFC Featherweight Championship of the World
Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes
There is a reason this is the main event, this matchup is an excellent one! While Volkanovski may be a heavy favorite on paper, Lopes is easily capable of pulling off the upset. Lopes has won five straight including over the likes of Brian Ortega, Dan Inge and Pat Sabatini. At 34 career fights, Lopes finally gets his shot at a UFC World Championship. He will come prepared and make the most of it.
Volkanovski is still one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, but he has been knocked out in his last two fights which have many questioning his chin. Again, if this was on paper it would go to Volkanovski for his total body of work, but if you went on recent history only, this one screams Lopes. Is this the same Volkanovski who beat Max Holloway twice, Brian Ortega and Jose Aldo, or the same who has gotten KO’d in back to back fights?
Prediction – Volkanovski by SD
