Alexander Volkanovski Regains Featherweight Crown in UFC 314 Main Event

Alexander Volkanovski once again sits at the head of the table.

The City Kickboxing Star called upon a piercing jab and astute lateral movement, as he earned a unanimous decision over Diego Lopes and captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight crown for a second time in the UFC 314 headliner on Saturday at the Kasey Center in Miami. Volkanovski (27-4, 14-3 UFC) swept the scorecards with 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 marks from the cageside judges.

Lopes (26-7, 5-2 UFC) struggled to find an offensive flow but nevertheless had his moments. He knocked down Volkanovski with a chopping overhand right in the second round and later opened a pair of cuts near the Australian’s right eye. Lopes pushed a steady pace, doing everything he could to keep his shifty counterpart in his line of sight. The Volkanovski jab was the separator. He sent it crashing into Lopes’ face over and over again, using it as both a damaging weapon and as a means to halt momentum. Ultimately, the Brazilian had no answer for it.

Meanwhile, former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Paddy Pimblett took care of business and left little to the imagination while doing so, as he disposed of Michael Chandler with elbows and punches in the third round of their lightweight co-main event. Chandler (23-10, 2-5 UFC) succumbed to blows 3:07 into Round 3, suffering his third consecutive defeat.

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Pimblett (23-3, 7-0 UFC) worked his way into the match with damaging leg kicks in the first round, then turned up the heat in the second. There, he scrambled into top position and put Chandler in immediate peril, floating from the back to full mount, all while piling up damage with elbow-laced ground-and-pound. Pimblett opened a deep horizontal gash under the three-time Bellator MMA champion’s left eye with a jumping knee in the third round, executed a takedown and proceeded to put a horrendous beating on the onetime NCAA All-American wrestler. He once again transitioned from the back to full mount and let fly with unanswered punches and elbows until Chandler was cooked.

The 30-year-old Pimblett has won nine fights in a row, seven of them finishes.

Further down the card, “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” winner Yair Rodriguez outstruck and outmaneuvered four-time Bellator champion Patricio Freire to a unanimous decision in their three-round featherweight showcase. All three members of the assigned judiciary scored it the same: 30-27 for Rodriguez (20-5, 11-4 UFC), who bounced back from consecutive losses to the aforementioned Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

The 37-year-old Freire (36-8, 0-1 UFC) never seemed comfortable in his long-awaited promotional debut. Rodriguez pinned him on the perimeter with kicks to all levels and cut off the majority of his takedown attempts. He floored Freire with a crackling one-two in the third round, swarmed for a potential finish and managed to shed a well-conceived armbar from the Brazilian. They closed out their ground exchange with dueling leglocks, then returned to their feet and circled one another in the waning moments.

Freire has lost three of his past four bouts.

Elsewhere, fast-rising Fighting Nerds star Jean Silva put away “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 27 semifinalist Bryce Mitchell with a ninja choke in the second round of their featherweight attraction. Mitchell (17-3, 8-3 UFC) checked out 3:52 into Round 2, losing for the third time in five outings.

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Silva (16-2, 5-0 UFC) slowly but surely imposed his will. Mitchell enjoyed some success with leg kicks but proved utterly ineffective in the grappling exchanges. Silva stonewalled his takedown attempts, trapped him on the feet and tore into him with punches, standing elbows and crushing body kicks. He caught the choke along the fence, powered Mitchell to the canvas and let his squeeze do the rest. The Arkansas native tapped, then lost consciousness.

The 28-year-old Silva now finds himself on a remarkable 13-fight winning streak.

Finally, a resurgent Dominick Reyes punched out former Fight Nights Global champion Nikita Krylov in the first round of their light heavyweight appetizer. Reyes (15-4, 9-4 UFC) drew the curtain 2:24 into Round 1, as he posted his third consecutive victory—all by knockout—at 205 pounds.

Krylov (30-10, 11-8 UFC) employed a kick-heavy attack but too often overextended on his punches. Reyes slipped a straight right and clipped the Ukrainian with a slashing counter left hook. Krylov collapsed to the canvas, where he was met with a pair of jarring hammerfists before referee Marc Goddard could arrive on the scene.

It marked the first time that Krylov had been stopped by strikes in more than a decade.

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