UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes Full Card Analysis

UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes – 4.12.2025 – Fight Predictions and Analysis

   Welcome to our collaborative coverage of UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes. We are in for a great pay-per-view show here in Miami headlined by the featherweight world championship. Be sure to check out our full reasoning for every pick as our records will not reflect confidence in each selection. We will be picking every fight, but likely only recommend betting on a select few.

Current Record

• Anthony: 92-51-1 (Last Year 321-191-0, 63%)
• Nick: 90-53-1 (Last Year 316-196-0, 62%)

*Fight odds were last updated from Bet99 on 4-11-2025 at 11pm EST

Early Prelims- Starts 6:00pm EST

Nora Cornolle -185 vs Hailey Cowan +150

• Anthony: The card today starts at women’s bantamweight as Nora Cornolle wil face Hailey Cowan. This is the second time that Cornolle has missed weight for an appearance in the UFC. She is a skilled striker with good power for this weight class and exceptional muay thai skills. If Cornolle can keep this fight upright she should find a lot of sustained success against Cowan. While Cowan is a gritty fighter, she is not nearly as good with her boxing or connecting at all from range. Cowan relies on her presence in the pocket to keep fights competitive. She has a good base in wrestling that she can perhaps rely on here. Cornolle has been defending opponent takedowns with good efficiency thus far. I think it will be difficult for Cowan to close distance and really get in on her hips here. A majority of this fight should take place at kickboxing range, right where Cornolle wants it. Cowan will need to rely on her cardio and wrestling if she is going to pull off this upset. Nora Cornolle by Decision
• Nick: Nora Cornolle is 8-1 professionally, having spent most of her professional career fighting for UAE Warriors. She is 2-1 in the UFC, coming off a hard fought decision loss to Jacqueline Cavalcanti. Cornolle is primarily a striker who has surprising power for her frame. She fights out of a Muay Thai style stance, and generally does a decent job putting together high volume combinations. While she can be dangerous, she is hittable in exchanges. Additionally, her overall grappling ability leaves a lot to be desired. Hailey Cowan is long and athletic for the division, but she seems to be more of an athlete than a fighter. She has base level striking and grappling ability, but unless she continues to make dramatic improvements I don’t expect her to hang on the roster for long. She has been out of action since April of 2023, so there is a chance we see an improved version of her in this matchup. That being said, it’s tough not to just back the favorite here. Cornolle hasn’t been all that impressive, but she has been active and it does seem she’s still improving. Nora Cornolle by Decision

Marco Tulio -400 vs Tresean Gore +300

• Anthony: Next is a fight at middleweight between Tresean Gore and Marco Tulio. This should be an exciting matchup between two athletes with great power on the feet. Tulio enters on a nine-fight winning streak and coming off impressive knockouts in his previous three appearances. He trains with the team at Chute Box Diego Lima and mixes great muay thai with dynamic boxing attacks. While these two fighters have similar measurements, Tulio does appear to be significantly bigger. He is the more refined striker but I think Gore can match his power. Tulio would prefer to keep this fight standing where he has the perceived advantage. We have not seen his grappling really tested with Tulio put onto his back. Gore can out wrestle him in this matchup and threaten him with a series of chokes. I think he is a live betting underdog with so many paths to victory in this scrap. He should be improving with each appearance despite this late start in the martial arts. Gore is a physical freak. Getting +300 seems like a gift, especially if these two are just going to stand and trade. I am not confident saying Gore will win but he is the value side. Tulio’s knockouts, while impressive, have not been against very high-level competition. I do not expect him to walk through Gore as has been the case in his first few octagon appearances. Tresean Gore by Round One KO
• Nick: Marco Tulio is 30-years old, 13-1 professionally, and coming off an impressive KO over Ihor Potieria, which came in his UFC debut back in January. Tulio is primarily a striker, with nine of his thirteen professional wins coming via KO. He carries serious power in all of his limbs, and he mixes spinning attacks into his combinations better than most UFC-level middleweights. Tresean Gore has serious power in his strikes, but he’s known to have a solid wrestling base well. That being said, he comes into this match-up with a suspect 5-2 professional record. Gore almost always looks dangerous early, but he’s overly willing to eat shots in exchanges. Additionally, it seems he doesn’t really have the gas tank to lean on his wrestling for three rounds. Gore will be dangerous early here, but I expect Tulio to stay safe until he outclasses him as he starts to fade. Tulio is the better striker by wide margin, and the more potent finisher in this matchup. Marco Tulio by Round Two KO

Sumudaerji -150 vs Mitch Raposo +125

• Anthony: This bout comes at men’s flyweight between Sumaderji and Mitch Raposo. I think it is difficult to handicap this fight as both athletes are rather low-level with few quality wins to their credit. Sumuddaerji has lost three fights in a row and I do not think he warrants the status of betting favorite. He is the more skilled striker of these two but there are numerous holes in his game that opponents can expose. Sumudaerji is very hittable, leaving himself exposed as he unloads combinations on his opponents. He averaged 66 percent takedown defense but Sumudaerji has also been grounded and punished on the mat in previous fights. He is a dangerous athlete early but generally he will struggle to keep pace for a hard three rounds of action. With Sumudaerji posing no grappling threat, I expect Raposo to be relentless in pursuit of his takedowns here. He normally does well converting his attempts and maintaining top position. Raposo will stay in his face and work to pressure him today. It appears this was a smooth weight cut for Raposo and I do not expect him to get knocked out. There was good value betting Raposo earlier this week but now the odds have closed. Mitch Raposo by Decision
• Nick: Mitch Raposo is 9-2 professionally, coming off a decision loss in his UFC debut, which came at UFC 302 against Andre Lima. He’s relatively well-rounded, with most of his professional success coming on the feet. Each of his last three wins have come via KO. Raposo mostly fights off the back foot, which cost him in his promotional debut. He has underrated wrestling ability, and he’d be wise to lean on that part of his game here against a dangerous and lengthy striker in Sumudaerji. Sumudaerji is primarily a striker. He keeps a wide and open stance, and his outstanding speed and footwork make him a tough target for any opponent on the counter. His power is solid, but his outstanding volume and counter striking ability are his greatest strengths. As dangerous as he is on the feet, his defensive grappling is a major hole in his game and his cardio and durability seem to be more likely weaknesses than they are strengths at this point in his career. Raposo is a live underdog here as the much better grappler, but I expect Sumaderji can use his length here to pick Raposo apart at range. While I don’t like the price, I do see Sumaderji as the rightful favorite. Sumaderji by Round Two KO

Michal Oleksiejczuk -220 vs Sedriques Dumas +180

• Anthony: This is a fight at middleweight between Sedriques Dumas and Michal Oleksiejczuk. It will be interesting to see how Dumas performs here fighting in front of a home crowd once more. Dumas represents Pensacola, Florida and I like what I have seen out of him through five UFC appearances. While Dumas is not very flashy or unique, he is a consistent performer who does well finding his way to winning decisions. He does well fighting behind his length at range and outworking opponents in clinch positions. Oleksiejczuk is generally easy to gameplan for. He tends to engage with opponents very early, using his boxing fundamentals to land attacks to the body and head. He has more potent power than Dumas but I do not consider him quite as durable. Oleksiejczuk tends to perform worse as his fights go late, really doing his best work early in round one. Dumas should be able to evade those big overhands early and grow against Oleksiejczuk as this bout goes on. Neither athlete is very skilled in terms of their grappling but this is one bout that Dumas figures to finally have an advantage with his jiu jitsu. He should feel confident engaging with Oleksiejczuk on the mat and I expect Dumas will at least accrue a few minutes of control time along the fence. I cannot trust Oleksiejczuk with my money as the betting favorite. Sedriques Dumas by Decision
• Nick: Michal Oleksiejczuk has serious knockout power and he does a good job putting consistent pressure on his opponents. Additionally, he has developed a reputation as a fast starter with a lot of quick finishes. Oleksiejczkuk has shown a propensity to fade late in fights, but he’s always dangerous early. His striking is far from refined technically, but he carries a lot of power and works well when he’s countering. In spite of his skills, he enters this fight on a three fight losing streak. He’ll likely be cut from the roster if he can’t work back into the win column here. Sedriques Dumas is an athletic striker whose long reach allows him to pick his opponents apart at a distance. He does a decent job moving in and out of range, he mixes elbows into his combinations well, and he has shown he can place a timely counter with fight-ending power. He is decent on the mat with a strong choke series, but his takedown defense is mediocre at best. He is 10-2 professionally, and 3-2 in the UFC. Oleksiejczuk trained with the Fighting Nerds for this camp, one of the hottest gyms in the UFC. He appears to be in excellent shape coming into this matchup. Dumas is athletic and generally durable, but I do expect Oleksiejczuk can find a finish here. Michal Oleksiejczuk by Round Two KO

Preliminary Card- Starts 8:00pm EST

Julian Erosa -300 vs Darren Elkins +240

• Anthony: This is a matchup at featherweight between veterans Darren Elkins and Julian Erosa. We should be in for a great scrap here as these two are known for their brawling style. Erosa is the better technical striker of these two but I find it hard to trust him as such a large betting favorite. Erosa is not very durable with seven knockout losses on his resume. Normally Erosa is losing to skilled strikers but beating opponents that cannot strike well or utilize their reach to an advantage. Erosa has good volume striking but not the best power. I do not expect him to knockout Elkins, or win by submission either. Elkins has not been submitted since a 2010 fight against Charles Oliveira. Erosa has won both of his previous fights via guillotine choke and I do not think that submission will be available to him today. Elkins trains with Team Alpha Male and certainly always drills defending guillotines and other attacks on his neck. He is a fighter that can fight out of deep submission attempts and take top position from his opponents. While Elkins does not appear to be a tough stylistic matchup I do think he will give Erosa problems as this fight goes on. Elkins’ cardio and elite durability make him a scary fighter in rounds two and three. Erosa is normally best early in his fights and not somebody I trust when the going gets tough. Elkins has a good shot at cashing as the underdog here and making it three wins in a row. Darren Elkins by Decision
• Nick: Julian Erosa is a well rounded veteran, with fourteen professional wins by submission as well as eleven by knockout. He is 30-11 overall, and his greatest quality as a fighter may be his willingness to eat shots in exchanges and keep pressing forward. He’s very game and gritty, but his durability has been in question at times as eight of his eleven professional losses have come via KO. His most recent success has mostly come on the mat, including an impressive submission win over a rising prospect in Christian Rodriguez, when we last saw him in action in July of 2024. Darren Elkins is an extremely tough and gritty veteran known as “The Damage” for his ability to take shots and keep moving forward. He is bloodied and bruised in almost all of his fights, regardless of whether or not he wins or loses. Elkins is decent offensively but he’s also extremely hittable. He is a technically gifted wrestler who does well in scrambles but there is no denying he’s on the downturn of his career. In spite of his age he is coming off back-to-back wins, but he has been out of action since October of 2024. The price feels wide here, but Erosa is certainly the more skilled and more dangerous fighter of these two at this point in their respective careers. If Elkins can extend this fight he’ll be live to pull off the upset as the underdog, but I expect Erosa can find an early finish. Julian Erosa by Round One KO

Chase Hooper -1000 vs Jim Miller +650

• Anthony: Next is a fun matchup at lightweight between Chase Hooper and Jim Miller. We will see the young Hooper tested here against a legendary veteran in Jim Miller, debuting for the promotion back in 2008. Miller’s last fight was a first round submission win against Damon Jackson that extended his all-time UFC record to a whopping 27 victories. He is such a legend still putting on wars at this age. Facing an opponent sixteen years younger will make it a tougher than usual night for A-10. Miller will be challenged with navigating Hooper’s length and quick attacks. The 25-year-old has really filled into his frame here at lightweight and I am expecting him to continue climbing toward the top ten soon. While Hooper is known for his phenomenal grappling, he is finally becoming comfortable with his strikes and showcasing rather high level kickboxing. I certainly think Hooper’s striking will be enough to get him the edge boxing against Miller, although he has struggled against some southpaw strikers before. Hooper is of course also confident when this matchup hits the ground. Miller is most dangerous in round one of his fights when he often locks up very clean submission attempts. I trust that Hooper can navigate out of these positions and keep himself safe from submitting here. That being said, I think he will also struggle to find a way to beat Miller by submission. He should cede control of this fight after escaping the early flurry from Miller in round one. Chase Hooper by Round Two KO
• Nick: Chase Hooper has extremely advanced grappling ability for a 25-year old. Eight of Hooper’s fifteen professional wins have come via submission. In many of Hooper’s past fights he was dramatically outclassed on the feet, but he does seem to be improving in that area. On the mat his long limbs provide him an excellent base for BJJ, and when his fights hit the ground he’s as creative as he is dangerous offensively. He enters this fight on a four fight win streak, and he has been much more consistent since moving up a weight class to 155 lbs. Jim Miller is one of the more accomplished veterans on the UFC roster. He’s a decent striker, but he’s found most of his success on the mat. He has excellent BJJ and twenty-one of his thirty-eight professional wins have come via submission. He has won five of his last eight fights, but at 41-years old he is certainly in the downturn of his career. The price here is absolutely ridiculous. Hooper has improved, but he really hasn’t done anything to justify this price against an opponent like Miller. I will pick Hooper as I expect he can finish Miller as he sets a torrid pace and then weaponizes his cardio, but Miller could be live for an early knockout. While I hate the price and don’t recommend betting here, Hooper is the pick. Chase Hooper by Round Two Submission

Virna Jandiroba -150 vs Yan Xiaonan +125

• Anthony: This is a matchup at women’s strawweight between Yan Xiaonan and Virna Jandiroba. Jandiroba is red hot right now, a winner of four in a row including a stoppage of Amanda Lemos in her last fight. She is trending toward a title shot soon as she enters this bout at 21-3 as a professional. Jandiroba is a highly skilled grappler. She has 14 wins via submission to go along with her black belt in jiu jitsu. It is a matchup of striker and grappler as Jandiroba clearly wants to bring this fight to the mat. While Jandiroba does not have the best striking offense she is effective at using her punches to close distance and mix up her fights. She only converts a third of her takedown attempts but Virna is relentless, chasing down opponents and forcing them to fight back to their feet. Xianon is a far superior striker, landing shots with great speed and precision. Her volume is normally very high and she figures to score well throughout this fight as long as she can keep it standing. I expect Xiaonan to struggle in this matchup against an opponent like Jandiroba. Her grappling acumen and pure strength make her a tough opponent, even if her gameplan is abundantly clear. Xiaonan has previously struggled against good wrestlers like Carla Esparza and Zhang Weili. I feel confident betting Jandiroba in this spot as she looks to continue this winning streak. Jandiroba has a great chance of winning this fight by submission as well. Virna Jandiroba by Round Two Submission
• Nick: Yan Xiaonan is a gifted striker who can fight at a fast and effective pace. Xianon has a solid understanding of footwork, she’s strong in the clinch and while her takedown defense isn’t great, it has come a long way over her last few appearances. At UFC 300, she suffered a decision loss for the title to Weili Zhang, a fight in which she had her moments as a considerable underdog. Since then, she got back in the win column against Tabatha Ricci, and she’ll be looking to build on that momentum here against one of the more dangerous grapplers in the division. Virna Jandiroba is most comfortable on the mat as a decorated BJJ black belt, but her entries for takedowns and her general wrestling ability can leave a lot to be desired. Virna Jandiroba is more than willing to eat punches to throw them. She does a good job keeping pressure on her opponents and her cardio has mostly held up at the UFC level. Her striking isn’t very refined, but she throws frequently enough to keep most of her opponents on the defensive. She’s coming off three straight wins, most recently securing a submission victory over Amanda Lemos back in July of 2024. This is an extremely binary matchup. On the feet, Yan should dominate. On the mat, Jandiroba is unlikely to face much resistance. This is a low confidence play, but I do expect Jandiroba can secure the takedowns she needs here to eventually find a finish. Virna Jandiroba by Round Three Submission

Sean Woodson -185 vs Dan Ige +150

• Anthony: The featured bout is a good one at featherweight between Sean Woodson and Dan Ige. This is a very exciting matchup between two of the division’s best boxers. Woodson has phenomenal striking, rising to 13-1 thanks to his hand speed and a very high volume of attacks. Woodson averages 5.66 significant strikes landed per minute. He will get his jab working early here against Ige and unload longer combinations as this bout wears on. While Woodson is always huge at this weight class, he benefits from a massive size advantage in this particular matchup. Woodson is seven-inches taller than Ige and has that same edge in his reach. Overall I think he is going to be the better striker in most any matchup as is the case today against Ige. For Ige to cash in as the betting underdog, he’ll need to connect with his own boxing and find a knockdown against Woodson. It will be difficult for him to overcome such a drastic edge in reach but Ige certainly has the power to find a knockout here. Woodson has been hurt on a few occasions before and knocked down in previous matchups. I will take Woodson here at the current odds but this is a tough fight to handicap. Ige is the toughest opponent that Woodson has faced and he needs to be weary of that power. Sean Woodson by Decision
• Nick: Sean Woodson is an extremely talented kickboxer as a former Golden Gloves champion. He continues to show improvements in other facets of his game, but he’s still mostly one dimensional. He has a 79-inch reach which is ridiculous for this division, and most of the time he uses it to pick his opponents apart at a distance. He has not suffered a loss since June of 2020, but he’ll be taking a major step up in terms of level of competition in this match-up. Dan Ige has an extremely high FIght IQ. He works well behind his jab on the feet, but he’s also comfortable grappling and wrestling as he has a very powerful base and excellent control of his weight/hips. He has surprising KO power for his frame, and it seems he only loses fights to the absolute best featherweights in the world. He’s coming off back-to-back decision losses, but each came to two of the best in the division against Lerone Murphy and Diego Lopes respectively. Woodson is going to have a huge reach advantage here, but Ige has had success against taller fighters before. He may have trouble closing distance, but Ige will be the more dangerous striker in the pocket and I expect he can mix in his wrestling if he needs to here. Dan Ige by Decision

Main Card- Starts 10:00pm EST

Nikita Krylov -185 vs Dominick Reyes +150

• Anthony: The main card opens at light heavyweight with Dominick Reyes taking on Nikita Krylov. Reyes has had a bit of a resurgence after a tough skid, winning both previous appearances by knockout. While he is not nearly as dangerous as in his prime, Reyes is still a dangerous athlete swinging with power in every shot. He is the more potent striker than Krylov, although the Ukranian can certainly match Reyes in terms of his technical skill. Krylov is 11-7 in the UFC with his losses coming against the higher level opponents that he has faced. He does not have thudding power, but given Reyes’ suspect chin he could find the knockout here. Krylov also has a decisive edge grappling over most opponents in this weight class. He is tricky with his takedown entries and often quick to lock onto submission attempts as they are presented. He has scored nine takedowns in his previous two fights and I expect Krylov to depend on his grappling to win again here. Reyes has 82 percent takedown defense and a solid base in wrestling. I expect him to hurt Krylov early on those entries unless he were to get clipped first. He is a live betting underdog here in an especially volatile fight. Both of these two like to get after it and engage in the pocket very early. It is very unlikely that this bout goes the full three round distance. Dominick Reyes by Round Two KO
• Nick: Nikita Krylov is more than willing to eat shots to throw them. He’s a talented kickboxer with extremely powerful kicks. If he can take fights to the mat he’s also an aggressive offensive grappler, with sixteen of his thirty professional wins coming by way of submission. Krylov enters this fight on a three-fight win streak, but it’s difficult to say he’s carrying momentum into this one as he has been out of action since March of 2023. Prior to his recent KO wins over Anthony Smith and Dustin Jacoby, Dominik Reyes’ career had been on the decline. In spite of his recent struggles, he is still best known for his outstanding performance against one of the greatest of all time in Jon Jones back in 2020. Reyes did an excellent job striking at range in that title fight. He threw extremely effective counters and he kept things close on the scorecards for the entirety of five rounds. Reyes is athletic and an extremely dangerous striker at range. He’s a competent grappler with decent BJJ and quality overall conditioning, but his durability has proven to be a major weakness in most of his losses. He did look good his last time out, but he’s a tough fighter to read given the wide range of outcomes he’s shown us against quality competition. These are two fighters that can finish a fight in an instant, but I do see Krylov as the more durable of the two. This is another low confidence play but I’m siding with the favorite. Nikita Krylov by Round One KO

Jean Silva -200 vs Bryce Mitchell +160

• Anthony: Next is a matchup at featherweight between Bryce Mitchell and Jean Silva. There is a lot of hype surrounding this matchup with each athlete taking a rather emotional approach. Silva called for this fight immediately after his finish of Melsik Baghdasaryan in February. Mitchell is a logical step up for Silva in this division and I think he would like to make it a point to finish Mitchell today. Silva did struggle to make weight ahead of this matchup but he was able to hit the mark on his second attempt yesterday. He is a very good striker, often using feints and taunts to set up his finishes. Silva has a great blend of speed, agility, and surprising one-punch knockout power. This is his first test against a skilled wrestler but I think he has the skill set to win here anyways. Mitchell will rely on his offensive grappling here since he cannot match Silva’s firepower standing. While Mitchell will likely score some takedowns and win minutes, Silva will have the bigger moments over the course of this fight. The judge’s will likely favor Silva’s big actions and damage when scoring a decision here. Silva also does have the power to stop Mitchell although I do not think it will be very easy. Mitchell is a live underdog in this matchup but I think Silva ends up getting this win. The Fighting Nerds have still not lost a fight since joining the promotion. It seems like taking Mitchell now would be a poor choice since the odds have closed quite significantly. Silva should probably be favored by more than -200 available now. Jean Silva by Decision
• Nick: Jean Silva is 15-2 professionally, 28-years old, and fighting out of an excellent camp via Fighting Nerds in Brazil. Silva is relatively well-rounded with twelve wins coming via KO and two coming via submission. Silva has a flashy style, but it is certainly by design. He does a good job throwing feints to bait his opponents into power shots, and his durability and cardio have been strengths for him up to to this point in his career. He carries a lot of momentum into this match-up, most recently securing a KO win over Melsik Baghdasaryan back in February. Bryce Mitchell is one of the most dangerous grapplers in the world at featherweight. He comes into this fight at 17-3, coming off a ground-and-pound KO win over Kron Gracie. Prior to that, he suffered a brutal KO loss to Josh Emmett that rendered him unconscious and seizing for several minutes. His striking continues to improve, but there is no denying his game plan is almost always to wrestle and grapple both early and often. The line feels wide here and this is another binary match-up. Mitchell will be in trouble if he can’t find takedowns, but if he does he could look like a dominant underdog. This is a low confidence play and I don’t like the price, but I slightly prefer the Silva side as he does seem to have the ability to work his way back to his feet if he’s taken down. On the feet he should dominate. Jean Silva by Round Two KO

Yair Rodriguez -200 vs Patricio Pitbull +160

• Anthony: The featured bout comes at featherweight between Yair Rodriguez and Patricio Pitbull. This is the UFC debut for Pitbull after a long career in Bellator. The former champion had ten wins in featherweight title fights and an overall record of 24-6 inside the promotion. The debut is coming a few years past his prime but Pitbull can still certainly mix it up with the best in this division. He has a great base skillset with exceptional feel when boxing. Pitbull possesses real knockout power and an aggressive style that leads to many KOs. I do not think his age will be a factor against Rodriguez but speed will be. Rodriguez is much quicker with his entries into and out of the pocket. He has a six-inch reach advantage and I think it will be difficult for Pitbull to land anywhere close to the accuracy of El Pantera. Rodriguez also has a much more diverse arsenal of attacks when striking. His kickboxing is elite, mixing spinning attacks with great fundamental kicks. He does well attacking his opponents to the body with his kicks and to the head using his hands. Rodriguez is a bit more of a finesse fighter while Pitbull likes to make his fights ugly. Both men prefer to keep their fights standing while Rodriguez really struggles when put onto his back. I do not expect much wrestling out of either side of this matchup. This fight is favored to go the full distance. I think Pitbull has more finishing equity, but if this bout does go three rounds I prefer to have my money on the favorite Rodriguez. Yair Rodriguez by Decision
• Nick: Patricio Pitbull will be making his UFC debut here, but he’s already extremely accomplished in the sport. A former Bellator Champion at both featherweight and lightweight, Pitbull already has notable wins over Michael Chandler and AJ McKee Jr. He’s a well-rounded fighter, and he generally does an excellent job exploiting the flaws of his opponents. He’ll be breaking into the promotion here against a tough out in Yair Rodriguez. Yair Rodriguez is a talented striker with surprising power for his frame. He throws a wide range of strikes. He does an excellent job mixing kicks into his combinations and he does a good job leaning on them to keep his opponents at a distance. Rodriguez throws a lot of spinning attacks. When he lands, they can be extremely effective. However, when he misses he leaves himself open to counter shots and takedown entries. This is a volatile match-up and fight I could certainly see going either way. While I do see Pitbull as the more skilled fighter in this match-up, he is past his prime and his durability does seem to be on a bit of a decline. Rodriguez is going to be dangerous here, especially early. I wouldn’t be surprised if he can find an early finish, but if he can’t I do expect Pitbull can take over as this fight wears on. He’s the better grappler in this matchup and he has made a career of finding KO shots on his counters. Patricio Pitbull by Round Two KO

Paddy Pimblett -150 vs Michael Chandler +125

• Anthony: The co-main event is a bout at lightweight between Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett. This is a great matchup to test just how high Pimblett’s ceiling in the division may be. Chandler is coming off a loss in his last fight going five hard rounds with Charles Oliveira. While Chandler is a true fighter, he lacks a lot in terms of defensive awareness and Fight IQ. He should really be taking a more measured approach to his bouts at age 38 but nonetheless he is still the same glass cannon of old. Chandler is a freak athlete with great power but also a poor chin. He absorbs a lot of damage in his fights and rarely does as well late as he does in round one. This matchup is scheduled for five rounds, unlikely a benefit to Pimblett who has not gone a full five in the UFC. He will need to be careful of Chandler early and hopefully find his way down to the mat where his advantage is most clear. Pimblett has world class jiu jistu and great submission skills. His striking is improving but often he is throwing his punches and kicks as a means of controlling the distance. Pimblett can hang with Chandler standing but that is certainly not how he plans on approaching this fight. I think Paddy with execute a game plan here that involves grappling Chandler and negating his offensive firepower. Chandler is just 2-4 since joining the promotion. I think this is a matchup that will set up Pimblett for a lot of future success. Paddy Pimblett by Round Two Submission
• Nick: Paddy Pimblett is primarily a grappler, and his greatest advantage is certainly his highly aggressive and dangerous style. He hunts for submissions from almost any position. His BJJ is certainly his greatest strength, but we’ve seen consistent improvement in his striking from fight to fight. The biggest knock on Pimblett are the holes in his striking defense. He keeps his chin high in exchanges and we’ve seen him clipped, more than once. Before he began his career in MMA, Chandler was an accomplished NCAA Division I Wrestler. He’s one of the better wrestlers in the lightweight division, outside of current champion Islam Mackhachev. That being said, he’d be wise to stand-and-trade here. He’s the better technical striker in this match-up and Pimblett is most dangerous when his fights hit the mat. Chandler’s fight IQ is more of a weakness than a strength. He’s overly willing to engage in a brawl which has proven to be a detriment to him in the past. He does have a solid wrestling base which he could lean on here if he so chooses. Pimblett is undefeated in the UFC, but this match-up with Chandler represents a massive step up in terms of level of competition. Pimblett has been an opportunistic grappler on his UFC run, and Chandler does tend to make mistakes. That being said, as this fight wears on, I expect Chandler can weaponize his cardio. He’s the better technical striker, and Pimblett’s defensive striking ability is questionable at best. He’ll need to stay safe if he’s taken down, but I see Chandler as the value side in this one. Michael Chandler by Round Four KO

Alexander Volkanovski -150 vs Diego Lopes +125

• Anthony: The main event decides the featherweight championship as Diego Lopes will face Alexander Volkanovski. The champion Ilia Topuria has vacated the title in order to challenge for lightweight gold soon. This opens the door for Volkanovski to earn back his title and be champ once again. There is no understating how critical a juncture this is for Volkanovski. If he were to lose for the third straight time today, title aspirations will be no more at 36 years old. I still believe he is in phenomenal shape for this weight class and likely to execute at a top-level every time out. Volkanovski was victorious in six title fights before moving up to challenge Islam Makhachev. He should be able to keep pace and outwork the more green Lopes. Diego Lopes has been dynamite since joining the UFC and he enters here on a five fight winning streak. He is known for his potent offensive jiu jitsu, quickly latching on and finishing submission attempts. Lopes also has great power in his hands although the boxing fundamentals are not all that sound. This has yielded Lopes 14 wins by round one finish. It seems unlikely that Lopes will be able to submit Volkanovski in this spot but it would not surprise me to see him win by round one knockout. Outside of the first ten minutes in this fight, Volkanovski should be gaining momentum or taking full control late. Lopes’ aggressive nature leads me to believe that he will struggle going for five rounds. Volkanovski averages 6.16 significant strikes per minute. He is going to be chopping away at Lopes’ legs early and then letting his hands go as this bout wears on. He is excellent when it comes to making the adjustments that he needs to make during each fight to win. I think he will do enough to win back the world title as long as his chin can still withstand Lopes’ first rush. And New. Alexander Volkanovski by Round Four KO
• Nick: Alexander Volkanovsk has an extremely high fight-IQ. He’s a gifted striker who does an excellent job mixing kicks into his combinations. He does a good job closing distance against taller opponents and his low and powerful base makes him difficult to grapple with. He’s capable of finding entries for takedowns, but he’s most comfortable fighting on the feet. Volkonovski does an excellent job baiting his opponents with feints. He’s very difficult for his opponents to read and he makes them pay whenever they try to put him on the defensive. As talented as he is, Volkanovski is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. Lopes is 25-6 professionally with ten wins coming via KO and twelve coming via submission. He’s primarily a grappler with slick BJJ and excellent overall scrambling ability. He’s coming off impressive wins over Dan Ige and Brian Ortega. He’s a prospect on the rise in the featherweight division, and it seems his striking continues to improve every time we see him in the cage. Lopes will be live for an early finish here, especially when you consider Volkonovski’s declining durability. That being said, I do expect Volonovski can stay safe early and then start to take over as Lopes starts to fade. This is a volatile match-up given Volkanovski’s age and the kill-or-be-kill style that Lopes seems to favor. Still, I’m siding with the favorite. I expect Vokanovski to lean on a leg-kick heavy game plan as he picks Lopes apart as this fight enters the championship rounds. And New. Alexander Volkanovski by Decision

-Nick Marro

Twitter: @NickMarroDFS

-Anthony Marro

Twitter: @AnthonyMarro_

Photo: UFC.com