The Octagon returns to Miami, Florida, for another major pay-per-view event as a new champion will be crowned at UFC 314 inside the Kaseya Center.
The vacant UFC featherweight championship is on the line in the main event as former longtime UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski looks to recapture the gold when he takes on streaking Diego Lopes, winner of five straight fights.
The title is being vacated by Ilia Topuria, who is moving to 155 pounds. Volkanovski is fighting for the first time in just over a year after losing the title to Topuria.
In the co-main event, it is a five-round lightweight battle as Michael Chandler looks to end his two-fight losing skid when he takes on British superstar Paddy Pimblett, who is on an eight-fight win streak.
In another major main card bout, former interim UFC featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez welcomes former two-division Bellator champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire to the UFC. Pitbull is arguably the greatest fighter in Bellator’s history and he makes his long-anticipated UFC debut in his quest to capture UFC gold.
Also on the main card is a featherweight bout pitting Bryce Mitchell against Jean Silva, and Nikita Krylov takes on former title challenger Dominick Reyes in a light heavyweight bout.
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> Women’s Bantamweights*- Nora Cornolle (8-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Hailey Cowan (7-3, 0-1 UFC)
*Cornolle missed weight by 1.5 pounds
Cornolle lands and pushes it against the fence and lands some knees. Cowan switches position but Cornolle reverses back and lands some knees. Cowan gets it to the mat but Cornolle looks for an armbar. Cowan gets it out and works from the half-guard. Cowan mixing punches and elbows as she’s controlling from the top and trying to pass guard. They scramble and almost get to their feet but Cowan is able to take Cornolle’s back. 10-9 Cowan.
Cowan lands a body kick and Cornolle lands a right hand. Cornolle with a body kick and lands an elbow as they clinch. Cowan gets a takedown but Cornolle gets the back. Cornolle locks in a rear-naked choke and it’s in tight. Cowan is trying to fight it off but she ends up tapping! Cornolle picks up the win.
Fight Result- Nora Cornolle def. Hailey Cowan by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:52 of Round 2
> Middleweights- Tresean Gore (5-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Marco Tulio (13-1, 1-0 UFC)
Tulio lands a jab then a leg kick. Tulio lands a combo then a spin kick and follows with a calf kick. Tulio tries a jumping knee but Gore lands a right hand. Gore lands a right hand followed by a left hook. Tulio with a front kick to the body. Tulio with a jab and a right hand. They trade leg kicks and Tulio follows with a right hand. Tulio lands some more kicks but Gore rocks him with a left hook. They tie up and Tulio lands a knee to the body and an elbow as they separate. Tulio lands a right hand. They trade left hands. Tulio with a body kick and landing some jabs. Tulio landing lots of punches and has Gore in trouble. Tulio mixes to the body and head. Tulio drops Gore with a left hand and gets on top as Gore has a big cut opened up. They get up and Tulio lands a knee. Gore lands a big right hand. Gore lands a right hand and Tulio lands a spin kick. Exciting round. 10-9 Tulio.
Tulio landing lots of punches and mixes in some kicks. Gore lands some jabs. Tulio lands a groin strike and timeout is called. They get back to action and Tulio is landing kicks and lands a spin kick then a spinning back fist. Tulio works the jab and lands a right hand. Tulio with more body kicks. Tulio rocks Gore with a head kick and Gore ends up falling down and Tulio starts landing shots from the top, mixing in elbows. Tulio with big shots but Gore is trying to get out of trouble. They get to their feet. Tulio lands a big left hand. Tulio drops Gore with a right hand and it is stopped! What a finish by Tulio!
Fight Result- Marco Tulio def. Tresean Gore by TKO (punches) at 3:16 of Round 2
> Flyweights- Sumudaerji (16-7, 3-4 UFC) vs. Mitch Raposo (9-2, 0-1 UFC)
They trade big punches as Raposo lands a big combination. Raposo lands some more punches but Sumudaerji covers up. Sumudaerji lands a leg kick. Sumudaerji lands a combo followed by a body kick. Raposo lands a right hook. Sumudaerji lands a pair of leg kicks. Raposo scores a takedown and gets the back as they scramble up. Raposo keeps back control and gets another late takedown. 10-9 Raposo.
Sumudaerji lands a body kick then a leg kick. Raposo lands a left hand. Raposo shoots for a takedown against the fence but Sumudaerji defends. Sumudaerji lands a leg kick. Sumudaerji lands a combination. Sumudaerji lands a leg kick that gets checked and he falls to his butt for a moment. He gets up and lands a pair of leg kicks. Sumudaerji misses a spin kick and Raposo is able to get a takedown but they get right up. Raposo has the back. They separate and Sumudaerji lands a jab. Sumudaerji with a leg kick. Raposo has it pushed against the fence but is unable to score a late takedown. 10-9 Sumudaerji, 19-19.
Sumudaerji lands a jab and a leg kick. Raposo lands a right hand. Sumudaerji landing and Raposo is able to score a takedown, but Sumudaerji is able to scramble to his feet and lands an elbow as they break. Sumudaerji is landing and Raposo scores a takedown, but they quickly get up. Sumudaerji lands an elbow as he defends the clinch. Raposo trying hard for a takedown. They separate. Raposo gets a brief takedown but has body control as they stand. Sumudaerji lands some defensive punches. Sumudaerji lands a knee. Sumudaerji defending with some short punches and elbows. Raposo is just holding on. 10-9 Sumudaerji, 29-28 Sumudaerji.
Fight Result- Sumudaerji def. Mitch Raposo by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
> Middleweights- Sedriques Dumas (10-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk (19-9 1 NC, 7-7 1 NC UFC)
Dumas lands a body kick. They’re doing a lot of hand fighting. Oleksiejczuk lands a left hook to the body. Dumas scores with a body kick. Oleksiejczuk lands a left hand. He lands two more with one to the body. Oleksiejczuk lands a left hand. He lands two more. Oleksiejczuk drops Dumas with a left hand and starts landing from the top. Dumas is covering up as Oleksiejczuk is teeing off with lots of punches from the top and it is stopped. Dumas is complaining but is told by Marc Goddard he gave him three chances and Dumas wasn’t defending. Big finish from Oleksiejczuk.
Fight Result- Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Sedriques Dumas by TKO (punches) at 2:49 of Round 1
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> Featherweights- Darren Elkins (29-11, 19-10 UFC) vs. Julian Erosa (30-11, 8-7 UFC)
Erosa lands a jab and Elkins gets off balance and falls down for a moment. Elkins lands a right hand and Erosa lands a leg kick. Elkins lands a leg kick and gets a takedown. Elkins gets inside the guard of Erosa. Elkins stands and Erosa hurts Elkins with an upkick. Erosa stands and Elkins is chasing the takedown as he’s hurt. Erosa defending with some elbows and they separate. Elkins lands a right hand. Elkins gets a takedown but Erosa rolls through to his feet and lands a knee. They trade jabs. Erosa lands and Elkins stumbles to the mat and grabs Erosa’s leg. They scramble and Elkins is chasing a leg. They get up and break apart. Elkins lands a right hand. Erosa lands a leg kick and a big knee then hurts Elkins with a right hand. Elkins is chasing a leg but Erosa is landing lots of punches and it is stopped.
Fight Result- Julian Erosa def. Darren Elkins by TKO (punches) at 4:15 of Round 1
> Lightweights- Jim Miller (38-18 1 NC, 27-17 1 NC UFC) vs. Chase Hooper (15-3-1, 7-3 UFC)
Hooper lands a body kick. Miller lands a combo. Hooper throwing front kicks. Miller connects with a left hand. Hooper shoots for a takedown and Miller is defending. Miller grabs the neck and Hooper is able to roll out. Miller gets on top and lands and Hooper looks for a triangle choke. Miller lands some left hands from the top. They scramble and Hooper scores a takedown. Miller with an elbow from the bottom. Hooper gets Miller’s back and is on it as they get to their feet. Hooper lands from the back. Miller is able to shake Hooper off. Hooper attacking an arm from the bottom. He almost had an armbar but Miller escapes and they stand. Hooper lands a body kick and Miller lands a counter right hand. 10-9 Hooper.
Miller lands a left hand. Hooper lands a front kick then a spinning back fist and scores a takedown. Hooper jumps on the back and gets the hooks in as Miller stands. Hooper trying to get a choke in but Miller fights it and Hooper jumps off the back but still has control and trips Miller to the mat and gets into side control. They get to their feet and Hooper gets it back down. They stand and Hooper has the back and drags it back down. They roll and Hooper attacks a leg. 10-9 Hooper, 20-18 Hooper.
Hooper looking for a takedown but Miller defends. Hooper gets a takedown. They stand and Hooper takes it back down. Hooper has the back with the body lock in. Hooper is now attacking the ankle as Miller is looking to attack an arm. Hooper returns to inside the guard of Miller. Hooper just controlling from the top but there is not lots of action going on. Hooper lands some punches. 10-9 Hooper, 30-27 Hooper.
Fight Result- Chase Hooper def. Jim Miller by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
> Women’s Strawweights- #1 Yan Xiaonan (19-4 1 NC, 9-3 UFC) vs. #3 Virna Jandiroba (21-3, 7-3 UFC)
Jandiroba looks for a takedown but Xiaonan shakes it off and lands to defend. They trade kicks. Xiaonan lands a side kick. Xiaonan lands a right hand to the body. Xiaonan lands a left hook. Jandiroba looks for a takedown but Xiaonan lands to keep her at a distance. Jandiroba grabs the body and pushes it to the fence. Jandiroba gets it down and looks at taking the back. Jandiroba is on top but Xiaonan is landing from the bottom. Jandiroba looks for a kimura. She lets go and gets to north-south position but rolls back to the guard as they trade punches on the ground. They get up and quickly roll to the mat as Jandiroba attacks the arm but time runs out. 10-9 Jandiroba.
Jandiroba immediately goes for the leg and gets a takedown. She takes the back of Xiaonan. Jandiroba has the hooks in on the back and is attacking the kimura. Jandiroba landing from the back. She is constantly attacking the neck as she lands punches. Jandiroba rolls for an armbar but loses it and Xiaonan stands and starts landing punches as she gets inside the guard of Jandiroba. Jandiroba looks for an armbar but doesn’t quite have it in, but it allows her to get side control. Jandiroba now locks in an armbar but Xiaonan defends and escapes. 10-9 Jandiroba, 20-18 Jandiroba.
Xiaonan lands a leg kick. Jandiroba looks for a takedown but Xiaonan lands, though Jandiroba lands a left hand. Xiaonan lands a combination. Jandiroba looks for a takedown but Xiaonan defends. Xiaonan lands a knee as Jandiroba looks for a takedown. Jandiroba tries to get it down and Xiaonan clearly and blatantly grabs the fence. She gets warned and Jandiroba is still able to get it down. Jandiroba landing from the back. She continues to land. Jandiroba has an armbar locked in but the buzzer sounds to end it. 10-9 Jandiroba, 30-27 Jandiroba.
Fight Result- Virna Jandiroba def. Yan Xiaonan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Featherweights- #15 Dan Ige (18-9, 10-8 UFC) vs. Sean Woodson (13-1-1, 7-1-1 UFC)
Woodson lands a leg kick. He lands another. Woodson lands another leg kick. Woodson lands a jab. Ige with a right hand. Woodson lands a leg kick. Ige pressing forward and lands a right hand. Ige lands to the body. Woodson lands a jab. Ige with a body shot. Ige lands a leg kick. Woodson lands a combination. Woodson lands a jab and they trade leg kicks, then Woodson lands a combo. Ige lands to the body. Woodson lands a stiff jab. Woodson with a jab and a left hook. 10-9 Woodson.
Ige lands to the body and then lands a right hand. Woodson lands a jab. Ige grabs the body lock briefly but they separate. Woodson lands a jab. Woodson lands a leg kick. Ige throws and ties up against the fence as he has a leg. They break apart. Woodson lands a leg kick followed by an uppercut. Woodson lands a jab as Ige throws a right hand. Ige lands a left hand. Ige lands a right hand and a leg kick. Ige shoots for a takedown but Woodson is sprawling to defend. They get to their feet. They break apart. Ige lands a left hand. Woodson with a high kick that Ige blocks and Ige lands a counter right hand. 10-9 Woodson, 20-18 Woodson.
Woodson lands a combination. Ige hurts Woodson with a right hand and then lands to the body. Ige lands a combination. Ige lands to the body and Woodson is covering up. Ige with a flurry of shots. Woodson looks for a takedown and Ige defends and starts landing punches and it is stopped. That is a bad stoppage.
Fight Result- Dan Ige def. Sean Woodson by TKO (punches) at 1:12 of Round 3
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> Light Heavyweights- #8 Nikita Krylov (30-9, 11-7 UFC) vs. #11 Dominick Reyes (14-4, 8-4 UFC)
They trade punches. Reyes rocks Krylov with a jab. Reyes lands a body kick. Reyes with a leg kick. Reyes lands a high kick. Reyes with a left hand. Krylov rushes in and Reyes drops him with a massive left hand and Krylov is out cold! What a knockout by Reyes!
Fight Result- Dominick Reyes def. Nikita Krylov by knockout (punch) at 2:24 of Round 1
> Featherweights- #13 Bryce Mitchell (17-2, 8-2 UFC) vs. Jean Silva (15-2, 4-0 UFC)
Mitchell presses forward. Silva with a high kick. Mitchell throwing side kicks as Silva is being patient. Mitchell lands a leg kick. Silva lands a body kick. Mitchell with a side kick to the body. Mitchell lands a leg kick. Silva lands a right hand. Mitchell with a stiff calf kick. Mitchell with a spinning back fist. Mitchell shoots for a takedown but Silva defends and they get to their feet. Mitchell with a leg kick and lands a left hand. Silva with a jab and a jump kick to the body. Silva with a spin kick that connects to the chin. Mitchell looks for a takedown but Silva locks in a guillotine choke. Silva has it in tight as Mitchell is trying to fight it. Mitchell gets his head out and they scramble up. Close round. 10-9 Silva.
Silva lands a leg kick and lands a right hand and Mitchell goes to the ground. Mitchell gets up and looks for a takedown but Silva defends. Mitchell still trying to get it down but Silva defends and they separate. Silva with a left hand and then a step-in elbow. Mitchell keeps trying to take Silva down but Silva is defending all of the attempts and landing on the break. Mitchell lands a leg kick. Silva lands a leg kick and a right hook to the body. Mitchell tries for another takedown attempt but Silva grabs the neck and has a D’Arce choke locked in and Mitchell taps!
Fight Result- Jean Silva def. Bryce Mitchell by submission (ninja choke) at 3:52 of Round 2
> Featherweights- #5 Yair Rodriguez (19-5 1 NC, 10-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Patricio Pitbull (36-7, 0-0 UFC)
They’re feeling each other out and hand fighting for the first minute. Rodriguez lands a leg kick. Pitbull lands a leg kick. They trade kicks. Rodriguez lands a leg kick. Rodriguez tries a jumping switch kick but Pitbull blocks it. Rodriguez lands a head kick. Rodriguez lands a body kick. They tie up. Pitbull tries a trip but they separate. Pitbull with a right hand. Pitbull lands a leg kick. Rodriguez with a front kick. Pitbull lands a kick and trips Rodriguez to the mat and gets to the half-guard. Pitbull controlling as Rodriguez lands, though lots were to the back of the head. 10-9 Rodriguez.
Pitbull with a high kick then a leg kick. Rodriguez with a pair of leg kicks. Pitbull lands a left hand and then lands big in an exchange. Rodriguez lands a body kick. Rodriguez lands a leg kick. They trade leg kicks. Rodriguez with a short uppercut. Pitbull scores a takedown. Rodriguez squirms to the fence and gets to his feet. Rodriguez lands a right hand. Rodriguez with a pair of high kicks. Pitbull lands a right hand. Rodriguez with a leg kick. Rodriguez lands a combo and a high kick then a body kick. Pitbull looks for a takedown as Rodriguez defends and lands some foot stomps. Rodriguez gets a late takedown. 10-9 Rodriguez, 20-18 Rodriguez.
They trade leg kicks. Rodriguez lands a combination. Rodriguez with a pair of body kicks. Pitbull lands a left hand and then a right hand. Pitbull connects. Rodriguez lands a body kick. Pitbull lands a right hand. Rodriguez with a jumping knee and Pitbull lands a left hand. Rodriguez connects and Pitbull goes down. Rodriguez gets on top and lands some shots to the head and body. Rodriguez lands some big elbows and more punches. They trade on the mat. Pitbull locks in an armbar but Rodriguez is able to escape and is on his feet. Rodriguez attacks a leg. Pitbull attacking a leg as well. They both escape to their feet and Pitbull lands a right hand. 10-9 Rodriguez, 30-27 Rodriguez.
Fight Result- Yair Rodriguez def. Patricio Pitbull by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Lightweights- #7 Michael Chandler (23-9, 2-4 UFC) vs. #12 Paddy Pimblett (22-3, 6-0 UFC)
Pimblett lands a leg kick. He lands another. He lands an inside leg kick. He lands a body kick. Pimblett with another leg kick. Pimblett lands a combo and Chandler with a counter right hand. Chandler gets a big takedown despite a fence grab from Pimblett. Chandler with a knee to the body. Pimblett lands some elbows. They stand and go back down as Chandler lands some big punches. They get to their feet. Pimblett jumps up and pulls guard. They stand and separate. Pimblett lands a right hand. Pimblett with a leg kick. Chandler lands a right hand as Pimblett lands a leg kick. Pimblett lands a right hand. Chandler lands a left hand. Pimblett with a jump kick. Pimblett lands a leg kick. 10-9 Pimblett.
They trade punches. Pimblett lands a leg kick. Pimblett lands a jab. Pimblett with two right hands. They trade leg kicks after Pimblett lands a left hand. Pimblett with a head kick. They trade leg kicks. Pimblett lands a combination. Chandler lands a groin strike and timeout is called. They get back to action and trade leg kicks. Chandler looks for a takedown and has the back and slams Pimblett down. Pimblett gets right back up. Pimblett lands some elbows and Chandler takes it back down. Pimblett rolls into the guard of Chandler. Pimblett with some knees. Pimblett with some elbows from the top. Pimblett gets the back of Chandler. Pimblett with some big elbows. Pimblett has the mount and lands. Chandler gives up his back. Pimblett with some big punches. 10-9 Pimblett, 20-18 Pimblett.
Pimblett lands a big knee and Chandler is retreating and split open. Pimblett chasing Chandler and lands a short left hand. Pimblett gets the back and gets a big takedown. Pimblett with some elbows and Chandler is leaking blood everywhere. Pimblett with a big left hand. Pimblett with some elbows. Pimblett has the mount and is landing lots of punches. Pimblett looking for the finish as he’s landing lots of punches and elbows and it is stopped! What a performance from Pimblett!
Fight Result- Paddy Pimblett def. Michael Chandler by TKO (strikes) at 3:07 of Round 3
> UFC Featherweight Championship- #1 Alexander Volkanovski (26-4, 13-3 UFC) vs. #3 Diego Lopes (26-6, 5-1 UFC)
Volkanovski lands a leg kick. Volkanovski with a high kick. They trade leg kicks. They trade inside the pocket as Volkanovski lands a left hand and Lopes lands an uppercut. Lopes with some body shots. Volkanovski lands a leg kick. Lopes lands a right hand. Volkanovski with a big right hand. Volkanovski connects and makes Lopes stumble from a left hand. Volkanovski lands a jab. Volkanovski gets a body lock and almost gets it down and lands a knee. Volkanovski with some left hands from the back and gets Lopes down. Volkanovski with lots of big right hands from the top. 10-9 Volkanovski.
Volkanovski lands a right hand. Volkanovski with a jab. Volkanovski lands a leg kick as Lopes lands a right hand. Volkanovski lands a leg kick and Lopes lands a left hand. Volkanovski lands a right hand. Volkanovski working the jab and lands a body kick then a leg kick. Volkanovski lands a right hand and Lopes stumbles back and the fence actually keeps him up. Volkanovski ties up against the fence. They separate. Volkanovski works the jab. Volkanovski lands a leg kick. Volkanovski back to working the jab. Volkanovski lands a big right hand as both land inside the pocket. Volkanovski lands a left hand. Lopes drops Volkanovski with a right hand late. 10-9 Volkanovski, 20-18 Volkanovski.
Volkanovski lands a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Volkanovski lands a right hand. They trade left hands and both clipped one another. They trade right hands. Volkanovski lands a big right hand. They trade inside the pocket. Volkanovski looks for a takedown but Lopes defends. Volkanovski lands with a right hand. Lopes lands a body kick. Volkanovski lands a right hand. 10-9 Volkanovski, 30-27 Volkanovski.
They trade leg kicks. Volkanovski lands a combination. Volkanovski lands a right hand and Lopes connects to the body and lands a right hand off a brief clinch. Lopes lands a calf kick. Volkanovski lands a jab. Lopes with a left hook and one to the body as Volkanovski lands a counter right hand. Volkanovski with a right hand and Lopes lands an uppercut. Volkanovski looks for a takedown but Lopes defends. Volkanovski is retreating. They trade in close range. Volkanovski’s eye is damaged. Volkanovski lands a right hand and a jab. Volkanovski lands a right hand. Volkanovski with a right hand. They trade late. Close round. 10-9 Lopes, 39-37 Volkanovski.
Volkanovski with a jab. Volkanovski lands a right hand. Lopes lands a combo. Lopes lands a leg kick. Volkanovski lands a solid combination. Lopes lands a right hand. Volkanovski with a jab. Volkanovski lands a jab and a left hook. Volkanovski lands a right hand. Volkanovski with some jabs. Volkanovski with a combo. Lopes lands a leg kick. Volkanovski with a pair of jabs. Lopes with a combo. Volkanovski with a jab. Lopes pressing forward. Volkanovski with a big left hook. Volkanovski lands a right hand. 10-9 Volkanovski, 49-46 Volkanovski.
Fight Result- Alexander Volkanovski def. Diego Lopes by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) to win the UFC Featherweight Championship
