The UFC is back in South Florida this week with UFC 314 in Miami.
Here’s how to watch UFC 314 with the newly vacant featherweight title on the line at the top of the card.
Broadcast and streaming info
Megan Olivi, UFC 284
UFC 314 has a main card that starts at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view via ESPN+. The preliminary card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, and early prelims stream on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.
Longtime UFC correspondent Megan Olivi will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC 314 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.
Dan Hellie will host the official UFC 314 weigh-in show on Friday at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT.
He’ll be joined by UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and Laura Sanko.
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier, two-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen and light heavyweight Anthony Smith will serve as desk analysts on the UFC 314 post-fight show and throughout the card, when necessary.
Brett Okamoto will serve as desk host with Jon Anik joining the desk post-fight.
Anik will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC 314.
He will command play-by-play alongside color commentators, former two-division UFC champion Cormier and Joe Rogan.
Din Thomas will also contribute to the broadcast as a coach-analyst.
(Mike Bohn—MMA Junkie)
Main event: Alexander Volkanovski
Record: 26-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC
Opponent: Diego Lopes (27-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Yair Rodriguez, Max Holloway (three times), Chan Sung Jung, Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo
Misc.: It’s been a rough past couple years for the former champ, but he still finds himself right back in a title fight. He lost two lightweight title shots to Islam Makhachev – the second of which came on short notice. Then he lost his featherweight title to Ilia Topuria. But Topuria is headed to lightweight and vacated the belt, so who better than to have a crack at it than the ex-champ, the UFC brass figured.
Main event: Diego Lopes
Record: 27-6 MMA, 6-1 UFC
Opponent: Alexander Volkanovski (26-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Brian Ortega, Dan Ige, Sodiq Yusuff, Pat Sabatini
Misc.: Lopes’ win over ex-title challenger Ortega this past fall put him in perfect position to get the call when Topuria moved up and the featherweight belt became open.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes, UFC 314 news conference
Co-main event: Michael Chandler
Record: 23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC
Opponent: Paddy Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Key wins: Tony Ferguson, Dan Hooker, Benson Henderson (twice in Bellator), Patricky Freire (twice in Bellator), Eddie Alvarez (2011 in Bellator)
Misc.: Has lost four of five, but remains a fan favorite for his willingness to sacrifice blood and perhaps future coherence in the name of entertainment. For that reason, title contention remains ever-present with a win. But a loss to Pimblett would push him toward that on-the-way-out territory experienced by Tony Ferguson, Donald Cerrone and others – fun at the dance, sure, but no longer a candidate for prom king.
Co-main event: Paddy Pimblett
Record: 22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC
Opponent: Michael Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC)
Division: Lightweight
Key wins: King Green, Tony Ferguson
Misc.: Former Cage Warriors champion has been perfect since his arrival to the UFC, and all four of his stoppage wins in the promotion have come with post-fight bonuses attached.
UFC debut: Patricio Freire
Record: 36-7
Opponent: Yair Rodriguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Adam Borics, A.J. McKee, Emmanuel Sanchez, Michael Chandler
Misc.: Former two-division Bellator champion “Pitbull” Freire finally arrives in the UFC. He’s regarded as the best fighter in Bellator history – and even challenged for the bantamweight title there less than two years ago, meaning he has the potential to play around in three divisions.
UFC 314 main card betting odds
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Alexander Volkanovski -150 vs. Diego Lopes +125 – for vacant featherweight title
- Michael Chandler +135 vs. Paddy Pimblett -160
- Bryce Mitchell +260 vs. Jean Silva -325
- Patricio Freire +165 vs. Yair Rodriguez -200
- Nikita Krylov -200 vs. Dominick Reyes +165
UFC 314 prelim betting odds
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Dan Ige +130 vs. Sean Woodson -155
- Virna Jandiroba -150 vs. Yan Xiaonan +125
- Chase Hooper -700 vs. Jim Miller +500
- Darren Elkins +285 vs. Julian Erosa -360
UFC 314 early prelim betting odds
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
- Sedriques Dumas +160 vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk -190
- Su Mudaerji -220 vs. Mitch Raposo +180
- Tresean Gore +260 vs. Marco Tulio -325
- Nora Cornolle -175 vs. Hailey Cowan +145
UFC 314 preview videos
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.
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