UFC 314 delivered a night of thrilling finishes, unexpected outcomes, and championship drama live from Miami! The Ringside Report Network crew, Dave Simon and AJ D’Alesio, were live, breaking down the action as it happened during the Ringside Report MMA UFC 314 Watch Along. From stunning knockouts on the prelims to a new (but familiar) featherweight champion being crowned, the night had plenty for MMA fans to talk about. Bleacher Report noted this was the third straight springtime pay-per-view in Miami, following UFC 287 and UFC 299.
We’ll dive into the biggest moments, comparing the hosts’ reactions with commentary from Bleacher Report, including Paddy Pimblett’s huge win over Michael Chandler and Alexander Volkanovski’s return to the featherweight throne against Diego Lopes.
Our UFC 314 Coverage
Captain Comeback: Reyes Scores Stunning KO Against Krylov
Dominick Reyes Continues Resurgence with Highlight-Reel Finish
The pay-per-view portion of UFC 314 kicked off with a light heavyweight clash between Dominick Reyes and Nikita Krylov. Reyes, ranked 11th coming into the fight, was the underdog against the 8th-ranked Krylov. Many remembered Reyes for his controversial decision loss to Jon Jones years ago, a fight AJ still adamantly believes Reyes won. Since that loss, Reyes had a tough run, losing three straight via stoppage before bouncing back with two knockout wins over Dustin Jacoby and Anthony Smith in late 2024. Bleacher Report highlighted this journey, noting he was “as close to a title as you could be without winning it” before falling “as far away as possible.”
Despite Krylov starting strong, Reyes found his moment. “He was doing so well Nikita and then he just walked into a lake,” AJ lamented as Krylov lunged in recklessly. Reyes capitalized perfectly, landing a “big left hand out walking backwards, too.” Dave noted, “Krilov kind of look he lunged in he lunged into the punch and Reyes perfectly time straight left hand knocked him unconscious.” Bleacher Report described it similarly: “Krylov was leaping in with a right of his own when Reyes pivoted and landed the shot that sent his foe to the floor in a heap.” A couple of follow-up hammer fists sealed the deal, giving Reyes a huge first-round knockout victory at 2:24.
“What a shot from Reyes,” Dave exclaimed. “Huge huge win for him. It’s three in a row now. It’s another knockout”. AJ added, “Well, I guess Dominic race is back in the picture again”. Reyes himself declared, “I’m back, but back and better.” This win puts Reyes firmly back in the top 10 and potentially sets up intriguing future matchups, perhaps even a rematch with Jan Blachowicz. As Reyes put it, “One more and a title. Let’s go.”
Decisive Dissension: Silva Chokes Out Mitchell in Grudge Match
Jean Silva Dominates Bryce Mitchell with Skill and Showmanship
Next up in the UFC 314 octagon was a featherweight bout filled with bad blood between Jean Silva and Bryce Mitchell. Silva had called out Mitchell after his last win, setting the stage for an intense encounter where Mitchell refused the pre-fight glove touch. Silva, representing the surging Fight Nerds team from Brazil, came in undefeated in the UFC with a string of knockout victories. Mitchell, known for his grappling, was looking to derail Silva’s hype train. Bleacher Report noted the clear “legitimate and continuing” enmity between the two.
From the start, Silva displayed impressive striking and takedown defense. He landed clean shots, including spinning attacks and heavy punches, while stuffing Mitchell’s relentless takedown attempts. “Mitchell again relentless on these takedown attempts, but they’re going nowhere stuffed again,” Dave observed. Silva engaged in plenty of showboating, pointing at Mitchell and the crowd, clearly enjoying the moment.
Late in the first round, Silva nearly finished the fight with a tight guillotine choke after Mitchell shot for a takedown. “Oh That looks tight. He’s got the guard Closed that looks tight,” Dave noted as Mitchell desperately fought to survive. Mitchell managed to escape, but the momentum was clearly with Silva.
In the second round, Silva dropped Mitchell with a crisp left hand but surprisingly let him back up. “That might have been a mistake he might have been able to finish him there,” Dave questioned. However, Silva remained in control. When Mitchell shot for another takedown against the fence, Silva locked in what AJ called a “ninja choke man”. Bleacher Report confirmed the submission type. This time, there was no escape. Mitchell tapped just as his eyes rolled back at 3:53 of the round. “Oh my god look at his eyes I think he went out,” Dave reacted. “He tapped him and and choked him out”.
It was another dominant performance for Silva, showcasing his well-rounded skills. “Good job John Silva. Good job choking out the Bryce Mitchell,” Dave declared, clearly satisfied with the result against the controversial Mitchell, whom he called a “piece of trash” earlier. Silva, according to Bleacher Report, expressed pity for Mitchell afterward, saying, “I’m sad for him. I don’t think he’s right in the head.”
Lackluster Debut: Rodriguez Outlasts Pitbull
Yair Rodriguez Secures Unanimous Decision Over UFC Newcomer Patricio Pitbull
The third fight on the UFC 314 main card featured former interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez taking on legendary former Bellator two-division champion Patrício Pitbull, who was making his highly anticipated UFC debut at 37 years old. Despite Pitbull’s storied career, AJ picked him for the upset, while Dave and Fred sided with Rodriguez. Bleacher Report framed it by quoting Pitbull’s belief that a decisive win was needed to enter the title picture immediately.
The fight started slowly. “Not much action so far in this fight,” Dave commented early on. Rodriguez landed the more significant strikes in the first, including a clean head kick, while Pitbull secured a late takedown but did little with it. AJ scored the round for Pitbull based on the takedown, but Dave gave it to Rodriguez based on damage.
The second round saw Rodriguez opening up more, landing kicks and combinations. He creatively used foot stomps while clinching against the fence to set up a trip takedown at the end of the round. “I think that was ya your Rodriguez’s round,” Dave assessed.
The final round had the most excitement. Rodriguez dropped Pitbull with a big right hand and followed up with vicious ground and pound. Pitbull showed his veteran savvy, surviving the onslaught and threatening with a deep armbar attempt that had Rodriguez in trouble. “That was deep man. That was really was a very great attempt from Patricio,” Dave acknowledged. Rodriguez escaped and attempted leg locks before the fight ended.
Ultimately, all three judges scored the bout 30-27 for Yair Rodriguez. Bleacher Report noted Pitbull was “out-landed by a 97-23 margin” and “never came close to displaying the skill that yielded 13 wins in 17 Bellator title bouts.” They described him looking “crestfallen” after the decision. Rodriguez gets back in the win column and potentially lines himself up for a big fight, possibly the title shot in Mexico he called for.
Statement Made: Pimblett Arrives! Dominates and Finishes Chandler
Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett Makes Statement with Third-Round TKO
The UFC 314 co-main event was arguably the people’s main event: Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett versus Michael Chandler. This five-round lightweight bout pitted the rising, charismatic star from Liverpool against the powerful, albeit aging, veteran. All hosts picked Pimblett to win, seeing it as a potential changing of the guard moment.
Chandler started aggressively, securing an early takedown. However, Pimblett displayed impressive composure and grappling defense on the bottom. “Even though he can you know, he could put himself in a vulnerable position He’s able to get out of it very composed,” AJ noted. Pimblett used a Kimura attempt to create space and eventually get back to his feet. Once standing, Pimblett started landing clean shots, and Chandler seemed to gas out. “Looks like a bit of an adrenaline dump here for Michael Chandler,” Dave observed. Pimblett clearly took the first round.
The second round saw more effective striking from Pimblett, who targeted Chandler’s lead leg. Chandler landed a blatant low blow, which Dave called “disgusting” and believed was intentional to buy recovery time. Shortly after the restart, Chandler secured another takedown, but Pimblett quickly reversed position, ended up on top, and rained down elbows, dominating the latter part of the round.
The third round began with Chandler’s corner employing another questionable tactic, spilling water to delay the start. It didn’t help. Pimblett landed a massive jumping knee early that badly cut Chandler open. “Big flying knee right to the face of Michael Chandler cut him open Big time,” Dave described. Pimblett took Chandler down again, took his back, and unleashed a relentless barrage of punches and elbows from back mount. Chandler, bleeding profusely and offering little defense, was finally saved by the referee Kerry Hatley at 3:07 of the round.
“It is over Patti the batty has finished Michael Chandler by TKO,” Dave announced. Bleacher Report called it a “star turn” and quoted Joe Rogan labeling it “a superb performance.” “We come here, we use our fight IQ and we beat mother f–kers up,” Pimblett declared post-fight. He called out the top of the division – Poirier, Gaethje, Oliveira, and Tsarukyan – staking his claim as a legitimate title contender. As AJ put it, “This is gonna be Connor 2.0 right here, man”. This win solidifies Pimblett as a major star.
RECLAIMED HIS THRONE 🏆@AlexVolkanovski defeats Diego Lopes by unanimous decision to reclaim his featherweight title!
— UFC (@ufc) April 13, 2025
[ B2YB @DudeWipes | #UFC314 ] pic.twitter.com/kRUl7A7Xgo
Outlasting Adversity: Volkanovski Grinds Out Win to Reclaim Title
Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski Becomes Two-Time Champ Over Diego Lopes
The UFC 314 main event saw Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski attempt to reclaim the vacant UFC Featherweight Championship against the dangerous Diego Lopes. Volkanovski, the former long-reigning champ, was coming off two knockout losses and facing questions about his age (36). Lopes, younger and riding a five-fight win streak, represented the new wave. Bleacher Report emphasized the narrative questioning if the “bigger, stronger and younger foe” was “too much of an ask.” Despite this, all hosts picked Lopes for the upset.
The fight was a tactical, closely contested battle over five rounds. Bleacher Report described Volkanovski as “far from an old Volkanovski as he worked effectively from distance, avoided prolonged damage and gutted it out.” Both fighters had moments, exchanging heavy shots in the pocket and engaging in clinch work. Volk generally led in volume according to the UFC stats, often charging forward, while Lopes looked for counters and landed damaging blows that cut Volk under both eyes.
The most significant moment for Lopes came late in the second round when he dropped Volkanovski with a clean right hand. “Oh Lopes drops Volk and I’ll ski with a right hand oh my,” Dave reacted. Volk recovered quickly, but the knockdown seemingly secured the round for Lopes on the hosts’ scorecards. AJ and Dave felt Lopes also took the fourth round after hurting Volk again. The other rounds were seen as much closer.
However, the judges saw it differently. Two judges scored it 49-46 (four rounds to one) for Volkanovski, and one scored it 48-47 (three rounds to two) for Volkanovski, giving him the unanimous decision victory. Official scorecards revealed Derek Cleary gave Lopes rounds 2 and 4 (48-47 Volk), Sal D’Amato gave Lopes only round 2 (49-46 Volk), and Chris Lee bizarrely gave Lopes only round 4, scoring the knockdown round for Volk (49-46 Volk).
Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski reclaimed the featherweight title. “Adversity is a privilege, this moment is incredible,” Volkanovski said post-fight, quoted by Bleacher Report. “Adversity is an opportunity… This is the s–t people are gonna write books about and make movies about.” It was a testament to Volk’s experience and grit, solidifying his place among the all-time greats.
Final Thoughts
UFC 314 proved to be arguably the best UFC pay-per-view of 2025 so far. It featured spectacular finishes, highlighted by Paddy Pimblett’s dominant performance cementing his star status, and crowned a familiar face as the featherweight king once again in Alexander Volkanovski.
Key Takeaways from UFC 314:
- Paddy Pimblett is a legitimate top contender: He dismantled a tough veteran in Michael Chandler, making a huge statement.
- Alexander Volkanovski shows championship heart: Despite questions about age and recent losses, he gutted out a decision win to reclaim the featherweight belt.
- Jean Silva is a dangerous rising star: His submission win over Bryce Mitchell was impressive and decisive.
- Dominick Reyes’ comeback continues: His highlight-reel knockout keeps his resurgence alive.
- Age vs. Youth: The night highlighted the challenges older fighters face, with veterans like Chandler, Pitbull, Elkins, and Miller falling to younger opponents.
Don’t miss the replays! Catch the full Ringside Report MMA UFC 314 Watch Along on the Ringside Report Network’s YouTube channel, Rumble, Twitch, or Kick.
Become a Member! Support the channel and get exclusive perks by becoming a member at membership.ringsidereport.net.
WrestleMania Week! Get ready for WrestleMania 41! Join the Ringside Report Network crew for live post-shows after both nights on April 19th and 20th, 2025. Catch the preview show next Friday at 10 PM Eastern!
