Top-ranked Alexander Volkanovski will battle third-ranked Diego Lopes for the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title in the main event of UFC 314 on Saturday. The early preliminaries from Kaseya Center in Miami get underway at 6 p.m. ET with the main UFC 314 fight card set to get underway around 10 p.m. ET. The featherweight title is vacant after Ilia Topuria vacated the title in February after moving up to lightweight. Volkanovski is fighting for the first time in more than a year.
Volkanovski is a -160 favorite (risk $160 to win $100), while Lopes is priced at +135 (risk $100 to win $135) in the latest UFC 314 odds, with that fight listed at -155 to not go the distance. The co-main event will be a lightweight bout between seventh-ranked Michael Chandler (+135) and No. 12 Paddy Pimblett (-160). Before making any UFC 314 picks, make sure you see the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Daniel Vithlani.
Vithlani is a highly-analytical UFC bettor who has been a consistent winner for SportsLine members since making his debut in January 2023. In fact, he’s up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card sports betting picks.
Now, Vithlani has studied Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes from every angle and revealed his top best bets.
Volkanovski vs. Lopes preview
Volkanovski, 36, will look to turn around his recent fortunes. He has won just once over his last four bouts following a 22-fight winning streak, including losing back-to-back fights for the first time in his career. Volkanovski is coming off a second-round TKO loss to Topuira at UFC 298 in February 2024, losing the UFC featherweight crown in the process. In October 2023, he suffered a first-round knockout to Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight championship.
Volkanovski will look to defy history against Lopes. A fighter who is 35 years old or older is 0-17 all-time in UFC title fights at 155 pounds or lighter. Volkanovski does have stamina, with an average fight time of 16:54, the longest in featherweight history. He is 26-4 all-time with 13 wins by knockout, three by submission and 10 by decision. Check out SportsLine to see picks.
Lopes, 30, is on a five-fight winning streak and will be competing for his first UFC title fight. He is coming off a unanimous decision win over Brian Ortega at UFC 306 in September 2024. Lopes enters the fight with a five-inch height advantage, but has an average fight time of 6:55, the shortest among active featherweights. Among Lopes’ most impressive wins have come against Ortega, Dan Ige and Sodiq Yusuff.
He has compiled a 26-6 career record, including 12 wins by submission, 10 via knockout and four by decision. He has 15 first-round finishes. Lopes has been fighting professionally since September 2012 in Brazil. In his first fight, he knocked out Francivaldo Arauvo at It’s Time Combat 1. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes predictions
We’ll reveal one of Vithlani’s UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes selections here: Dan Ige (+155) at FanDuel Sportsbook to defeat Sean Woodson (-185) in a featherweight matchup on the preliminary card.
“The 13-1-1 Woodson is a slick and rangy boxer who fights on the outside,” Vithlani told SportsLine. “He uses his smooth footwork and tricky feinting to set the rhythm of the dance. He’ll have a dangerous dance partner in Ige, whose power is renowned in the weight class. Ige is coming off losses to top-10 featherweight contenders Lerone Murphy and Diego Lopes. Ige was extremely competitive in both of those fights and impressed me despite the results. He hurt Murphy with punches and was able to effectively wrestle against the dangerous grappler Lopes.” See who else to back here.
UFC 314 main fight card, odds
Vithlani has strong picks for Volkanovski vs. Lopes and other bouts on the UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes card. He’s also backing a fighter who “is coming into his athletic prime” to earn a massive win. He’s sharing who it is only at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.
UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes main fight card, odds
Diego Lopes (+135) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (-160)
Paddy Pimblett (-160) vs. Michael Chandler (+135)
Yair Rodriguez (-190) vs. Patricio Pitbull (+160)
Jean Silva (-195) vs. Bryce Mitchell (+165)
Nikita Krylov (-160) vs. Dominick Reyes (+135)
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