Quick results
Main Card (10 p.m. ET) (PPV)
- Alexander Volkanovski def. Diego Lopes via Decision, Unanimous (Vacant UFC Featherweight Championship)
- Paddy Pimblett def. Michael Chandler via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:07)
- Yair Rodriguez def. Patricio Pitbull via Decision, Unanimous
- Jean Silva def. Bryce Mitchell via Submission, Ninja Choke (RD 2, 3:52)
- Dominick Reyes def. Nikita Krylov via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:24)
Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET) (ESPN / ESPN+)
- Dan Ige def. Sean Woodson via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:12)
- Virna Jandiroba def. Yan Xiaonan via Decision, Unanimous
- Chase Hooper def. Jim Miller via Decision, Unanimous
- Julian Erosa def. Darren Elkins via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:15)
Early Prelims (6 p.m. ET) (ESPN+ / UFC Fight Pass)
- Michael Oleksiejczuk def. Sedriques Dumas via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:49)
- Sumudaerji def. Mitch Raposo via Decision, Split
- Marco Tulio def. Tresean Gore via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:16)
- Nora Cornolle def. Hailey Cowan via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 1:52)
Alexander Volkanovski out-lands Diego Lopes in five-round striking contest to begin second featherweight title reign
Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski is back on top of the featherweight division.
Competing just a little over a year after his historic initial reign as UFC Featherweight Champion came to an end, the Australian striker had a triumphant return on Saturday night to reclaim status as the best 145-pound fighter in the world.
Volkanovski earned a unanimous decision nod against Brazilian finisher Diego Lopes, winning in the main event of UFC 314 from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida to earn the vacant featherweight title.
Volkanovski put together a masterful striking display through 25 minutes, surviving some brief scares and out-working Lopes overall. While the fight was by no means a cakewalk for Volkanovski, he was able to walk away with a comfortable two-round margin on a pair of scorecards after his high-output display on the feet (48-47, 49-46 & 49-46).
The story of the fight came down to volume versus power. While Lopes provided some of the more pronounced moments of the bout, Volkanovski significantly out-struck him in every single round.
Whether he was advancing, clinching or on the backfoot, the accuracy Volkanovski showed with his hands allowed him to take four out of the five rounds on some scorecards.
While Volkanovski hurt Lopes at many points in the fight with a big shot—knocking him back with a left hook in the opening round, stunning him again with the same shot a round later, freezing the Brazilian talent with a right hand in the final frame—the impressive chin of Lopes showed as he avoided ever getting knocked down to the canvas.
Lopes had a pair of big highlights during the bout, providing moments that were sure to scare supporters of the Australian future Hall of Famer.
A right hook floored Volkanovski in the closing moments of the second round, providing the sole knockdown of the fight. With just moments left in the frame, Lopes had little room to capitalize on the moment. Two rounds later, Volkanovski looked quite bothered by his left eye, which had consumed a clean lead jab from Lopes. Volkanovski eventually recovered, but not after significant backpedalling while trying to regain his composure.
After a five-round performance that saw him more than double the official significant strikes of Lopes per official UFC stats, Volkanovski became the second-ever fighter to hold the featherweight title twice (the first being Jose Aldo).
The bout was a long-awaited comeback win for Volkanovski, who last saw victory nearly two years ago. After a failed double-champ bid up at lightweight in 2023 and then a 2024 loss in his home division to Ilia Topuria, Volkanovski has finally turned things around and reclaimed his spot as the best featherweight in the world.
“It’s good to be back,” Volkanovski said during his post-fight interview. “I’ve never felt the love so much … For everyone watching, adversity is a privilege. People talk about that. It truly is. This moment is incredible.”
An opening to regain featherweight gold emerged due to former champ Topuria suddenly vacating his title earlier this year, dropping the belt to chase a career up at lightweight.
Saturday’s main event was Volkanovski’s 10th title fight in the UFC. On the flipside, Lopes hadn’t previously appeared in a championship opportunity with the promotion, better yet a five-round tilt. A chance at the title emerged for him less than two full years into his UFC career, getting the shot after piecing together a run of five consecutive wins since the summer of 2023.
Past victories for Lopes included decision wins over former title challenger Brian Ortega and long-time contender Dan Ige, as well as a trio of first-round stoppage wins.
Lopes looked at the bigger picture following his loss: He didn’t come out on top against Volkanovski, but his story isn’t over.
“It was an honor to share the octagon with a guy like Alexander Volkanovski, but I’ll be back,” he said.
Paddy Pimblett stops Michael Chandler in biggest win yet
In easily his most impressive UFC outing to date, Liverpool-based lightweight stand-out Paddy Pimblett dominated veteran Michael Chandler before finding a third-round stoppage in Saturday’s co-main event.
Pimblett, a fan favorite who has yet to lose since entering the UFC roster in 2021, bloodied and battered Chandler in a fight that became increasingly one-sided as it progressed.
Pimblett was the better striker from the start, significantly out-landing Chandler in each round of the fight. While a controlling takedown early made it seem like Chandler was possibly primed to control the bout whenever it went to the mat, Pimblett eventually became the better fighter in those portions of the bout as well.
Pimblett had a scramble-heavy exchange with Chandler in round two, allowing him to briefly try for an arm triangle, and also unload with numerous shots from a full mount position. After 10 minutes of action, Pimblett had gained a lead by out-working Chandler no matter where the bout went.
It became clear early in the third round that a finish was nearing. Pimblett opened the frame with a flying knee, which split through Chandler’s guard and opened a nasty cut on his cheek.
Pimblett scored a takedown on Chandler, who had blood pouring out of him and overall looked quite marked up around the face. After being in control for two minutes, Pimblett fired off a combination of ground and pound shots which convinced referee Kerry Hatley to end the fight.
While the fight didn’t move into the fourth or fifth rounds, something that Pimblett has yet to experience in the UFC, it extended his promotional record to seven wins and will likely break him into the lightweight top 10 next week.
Pimblett has amassed more than half a dozen successful performances since 2021, with past victories coming against names like King Green and Tony Ferguson.
The 30-year-old former Cage Warriors champ, one of the most popular U.K. names in the promotion, wants yet another massive challenge in his next fight. He mentioned Saturday that he hopes to face a to-five fighter next, specifically calling out Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliviera.
The co-main event was another tough setback for 38-year-old Chandler, who has gone a long time without seeing a win. The former Bellator champ has been winless since mid-2022, an unfortunate streak that is in-part due to consistent losses and also a year away from the sport as he awaited a Conor McGregor bout, which never came to fruition.
Patricio Pitbull falls to Yair Rodriguez in long-awaited UFC debut
Yair Rodriguez spoiled the UFC debut of highly decorated former Bellator fighter Patricio Pitbull, out-striking him through three rounds to walk away with a clean-sweep unanimous decision victory.
Rodriguez had the upper hand against a slow-starting Pitbull, then continued to succeed as the heat got turned up late.
Pitbull had a low output early, throwing just 10 strikes in the opening round and connecting with even less, per official UFC stats. Rodriguez got active early with his striking, notably getting ahead with kicks early on.
The best moment from Rodriguez emerged late, when a clean right cross as part of a two-punch combo flattened Pitbull. While Pitbull was quick to recover, this allowed the Mexican talent to take top control for the rest of the fight, unloading with hard elbows and ground and pound while in control.
Pitbull signed with the UFC this year after being granted his release from the PFL/Bellator, ending a nearly one-and-a-half decade-long run with the promotion.
The 38-year-old joined the UFC with fanfare, as his Bellator career came with dominance at 145 pounds, including a run as the promotion’s last-ever featherweight champ.
Pitbull hoped that he could break into the division’s top 10 in his UFC debut, but Rodriguez stopped him from attaining such a splash in his first appearance for the promotion.
The performance was big for Rodriguez, who got back into the win column after high-stakes losses against Brian Ortega and Alexander Volkanovski in recent years.
Following his win, Rodriguez challenged the winner of the card’s main event to a title fight at Noche UFC, which is scheduled to go down in Guadalajara, Mexico, in September.
“Whoever wins tonight, I want to fight that guy in Mexico,” he said.
Jean Silva beats Bryce Mitchell at his own game
Jean Silva is expected to debut in the UFC featherweight rankings following a statement win over Bryce Mitchell on Saturday night.
While Silva is best known for his striking abilities, gaining somewhat of a knockout artist title from his previous UFC appearances, he surprisingly notched a submission win against grappling specialist Mitchell on Saturday night.
Silva suddenly pursued a ninja choke while standing with his back to the cage during the second round. He continued to lock up the hold up as the fight went to the ground, causing Mitchell to tap out but also putting him to sleep before the referee stepped in.
The featherweight contest played out as a solid outing from Silva prior to the stoppage, showing large amounts of confidence in grappling positions against Mitchell. He shut down more than a dozen takedowns earlier in the fight and was comfortable enough to reverse some positions into submission attempts.
Silva has been unstoppable since joining the UFC roster in early 2024. He has now pieced together five consecutive finish wins, with past victories coming against respected names like Charles Jourdain and Drew Dober. This weekend marked his second appearance of 2025 already, coming back after earning a first-round finish over Melsik Baghdasaryan in February.
Silva is one of the many rising names from the Brazilian Fighting Nerds gym, which also has talents on the rise like Carlos Prates, Caio Borralho and Mauricio Ruffy.
While entering Saturday unranked, Silva is likely to have a number next to his name by next week. Mitchell was hoping to defend his 13th-ranked spot in the class, having remained one of the division’s top names despite losing in a few of his more recent bouts.
Dominick Reyes adds third knockout win to recent comeback run
The career resurgence of Dominick Reyes continued on Saturday night with yet another explosive win.
The former UFC light heavyweight title challenger scored a brutal first-round knockout against Nikita Krylov in the main card opener on Saturday, catching him with a counter left hook in the bout’s third minute. While Krylov was out immediately after the punch, Reyes got in a pair of hammerfist punches before referee Marc Goddard stopped the bout.
The past 12 months have been quite a turn of events for Reyes, who, last spring, was at risk of suffering a fifth consecutive loss in the UFC cage. The skid saw him fall from the top of a division – meeting champ Jon Jones for a competitive five-round battle in 2020 – to nearly leaving the light heavyweight top-15 standings.
Reyes has now regained a fair amount of momentum, previously stopping Dustin Jacoby and Anthony Smith with punches in appearances last year.
“I’m not back, I’m better,” Reyes said afterward. “Fighting Nikita Krylov is no joke. He’s a relentless presser, extremely tough … One of the hardest matchups in the division, in my opinion.”
With his win Saturday, Reyes is likely to break into the light heavyweight top 10 for the first time since 2022. Krylov was ranked eighth heading into this weekend, riding the momentum of a three-fight win streak but also fighting off the ring rust of a two-year absence from competition.
U.S. President Donald Trump takes his seat cageside
Appearing at a UFC show for the first time since kicking off his second stint as U.S. President, Donald Trump appeared at the Kaseya Center on Saturday.
His on-screen cameo was much like the many times he appeared while on the campaign trail in recent years, receiving a cinematic walk through the crowd, flanked by UFC’s Dana White, until arriving at his cageside seats. Unsurprisingly, he received a loud, warm welcome from attendees, many of whom expected his arrival and subsequently brought his merchandise to the show.
But, unlike past appearances, the appeal was no longer to rally younger male voters and get him back in office, a strategy in which UFC played an integral part in during the past election cycle. Instead, Trump is aiming to maintain support amid a looming trade war with China via strict tariffs, a battle which could bring significant discomfort to consumers stateside and around the world.
Prelim results: Dan Ige scores controversial third-round stoppage, Virna Jandiroba snags #1 strawweight ranking
Controversy emerged in the featured prelim of the night, as an electric third round by Dan Ige came to an end due to what many deemed an early stoppage. After hurting Sean Woodson with a clean left hook to the head and punches to the body, Ige stopped the fight by landing hammerfist punches while shutting down a lethargic takedown attempt. But Woodson was seemingly working up to his feet during the finishing sequence and immediately protested the stoppage afterward. Others, including many on the official English broadcast, also disputed the result.
The result shut Woodson out of the featherweight rankings, as he looked to take Ige’s #15 spot and secure a fifth consecutive stoppage this weekend. The win instead went to Ige, who is back in the win column after losses to high-ranked talents Lerone Murphy and Diego Lopes.
Virna Jandiroba picked up a win that is expected to make her the top contender in the strawweight division, dominating first-ranked Yan Xiaonan through three rounds for a scorecard sweep. Jandiroba’s high-level grappling skills were the story of the fight, as the Brazilian chased down numerous submissions throughout the contest and nearly caught Yan at many times with armbar attempts. Jandiroba now has five consecutive UFC wins, a streak that may or may not line her up for a future title shot against Zhang Weili.
Chase Hooper used his mat skills to control Jim Miller, the most experienced UFC fighter of all time, for three rounds and earn a unanimous decision win on Saturday night. While the first round of the fight was quite close and scramble-heavy between the lightweights, Hooper started to get a better grip on the contest in the second and third rounds, making it a clear scorecard victory for him. Hooper has been on an impressive run of five consecutive wins since 2023, with a trio of the performances emerging via submission.
Julian Erosa put together a hard-to-watch, one-sided beating against Darren Elkins, stunning the most experienced featherweight in UFC history numerous times before forcing a finish within a round. Elkins got hurt early in the fight by a pair of upkicks to the head and then continued to eat a high volume of strikes and get wobbled until a ground and pound stoppage emerged. Erosa has now earned a trio of first-round finishes in 13 months. 30-fight UFC vet Elkins had a two-bout winning streak broken with the result.
Polish MMA vet Michal Oleksiejczuk likely extended his UFC career with a crucial win on Saturday night, snapping a three-fight losing streak with a first-round finish over Sedriques Dumas. After leading the stand-up battle for half a round, Oleksiejczuk seemingly dropped Dumas with a forearm shot. He landed a flurry of ground and pound strikes after that, putting an end to the fight in a little under three minutes. Oleksiejczuk was heading back into the cage after losing three fights in 13 months, including a pair of quick submission stoppages.
Sumudaerji earned a long-awaited return to the win column, using his reach advantage over Mitch Raposo to out-land the American prospect on the feet for a split decision win. Sumudaerji’s striking skills, matched with an ability to shut down countless takedown attempts from Raposo, made it an impressive showing. The victory earned “The Tibetan Eagle” his first win since early 2021, snapping a three-fight skid and likely saving his job with the promotion. Raposo is now 0 for 2 in the UFC, with his prior appearance notably being a short-notice booking.
Rising middleweight prospect Marco Tulio threw everything but the kitchen sink at a tough Tresean Gore, finally forcing a stoppage after one-and-a-half rounds of action. Tulio hurt and dropped Gore numerous times throughout the fight, although the American talent kept getting up and, more surprisingly, continued to answer back with his own solid shots against the UFC rookie. However, things finally came to a close when a hard right cross knocked Gore to the mat, causing referee Marc Goddard to stop the bout in the second frame. Tulio has now earned back-to-back finish wins since making his UFC debut earlier this year.
13th-ranked bantamweight Nora Cornolle bounced back from her first UFC loss in the opening bout of the night with a stoppage win over Hailey Cowan. While best known for her striking skills, Cornolle pulled out her second-ever submission win, reversing a takedown attempt from Cowan in the second round to take the back and secure a rear naked choke submission. Cornolle has now won three of her four UFC fights but has notably missed weight in a pair of the appearances, including Saturday.
