We are in for an absolute banger of a card this weekend as UFC 314 will be taking place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The card is headlined by former champion Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes battling for the now vacant Featherweight title.
This card is stacked with talent from top to bottom, so we will be in for an amazing night of fights. Today, I will break down my 3 favorite bets for this weekend’s fight card. Let’s get into it!
This is a very fun fight to me. Dan Ige has fought the best of the best in his career, but it seems that may be catching up to him. He is 4-6 in his last 10 fights and is entering this one on a 2-fight skid. Meanwhile, Woodson hasn’t lost since 2020 and is 6-0-1 since then.
This fight, like basically all of Woodson's, will come down to his opponent being able to close the distance. Woodson is 6’2 with a 78-inch reach and fights at 145, which is insane. He has the frame of a Middleweight or LHW and somehow makes 145.
Ige will have to try and get in close, but being 8 inches shorter with a 7-inch shorter wingspan won’t help. Ige has never been finished in his career, and I don’t see that happening this weekend. But I think Woodson's streak will continue.
MY PICK: Sean Woodson by Decision -120
This fight is going to be electric. Say what you will about Michael Chandler, but he always puts on a show when he enters the octagon. Paddy Pimblett is also a huge star, but his fight style isn’t the most entertaining.
Chandler, now 38, is pretty desperate for a win. He is 2-4 in his UFC career and has fought only the best of the best. This is going to be a huge test for Paddy to see if he can hang with the top guys in the division.
Paddy is mainly a grappler when he fights, but I think this will be a tough matchup for him. We don’t see much grappling from Chandler, but he is a decorated D-I All-American wrestler.
We did see Charles Oliveira put a clinic on him, but I’m not sure Paddy’s ground game is on the same level. I think Chandler stops the Hype train and gets the win this weekend as a solid underdog. He’s stronger, faster, and I think his cardio will be the deciding factor.
MY PICK: Michael Chandler +124
I’m not sure I’ve been this excited for a fight in a long time. Volk is a legend and seeing him get back on top one last time would be amazing after two brutal KO losses.
However, Lopes seems unstoppable right now. He has dominated his last 5 fights since a questionable loss to Mosvar Evloev in his UFC debut in 2023. He is extremely well-rounded, much like Volk, so this is going to be a very high-level fight.
It took me some time to come up with a decision for this fight. On one hand, Volk has been on the highest level for years, but his last 2 losses may have taken years off his career. He defended the title 5 times as a Champion and is possibly the greatest Featherweight in UFC history.
I think he has one more masterclass left in the tank, and if his chin holds up, he can push this fight's pace and challenge Lopes, who has not gone more than 3 rounds in the UFC. Gimme Volk to get his belt back!
MY PICK: Alexander Volkanovski by Decision +200