After a couple of UFC Fight Night events that may have been a bit lacking in excitement, UFC 314 at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday night delivered some truly sensational, highlight-reel finishes that had fans on their feet.
A new featherweight champion was crowned, fresh contenders emerged, and several veteran fighters proved they still have plenty left to offer inside the Octagon.
Now, it’s time to take a look at what should come next for the winners from the UFC 314 main card.
Alexander Volkanovski
With Ilia Topuria now officially no longer the UFC featherweight champion, the path is clear for Alexander Volkanovski (27-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) to begin building another dominant reign at 145 pounds.
That may be a tall order, given the impressive lineup of rising contenders waiting in the wings—combined with the fact that the Australian will likely be 37 years old by the time he returns to action.
Movsar Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) stands out as the clear next candidate to challenge for the belt, following an unbeaten start to his UFC career. With recent victories over Diego Lopes, Arnold Allen, and Aljamain Sterling, the Russian seems impossible to deny once Volkanovski is ready to return.
Paddy Pimblett
Since signing with the UFC in 2021, Paddy Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has consistently silenced his critics the best way possible—by winning fights inside the Octagon.
Saturday’s dominant performance against Michael Chandler should catapult the Scouser into the top ten at 155 pounds and open the door to some massive matchups against the elite of the lightweight division.
Pimblett name-dropped fighters like Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier in his post-fight interview, but his mention of Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) was by far the most intriguing.
With “Do Bronx” potentially stuck waiting on the sidelines if Ilia Topuria is granted a lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev, a showdown between Pimblett and the Brazilian would be a tantalizing prospect for fans.
Yair Rodriguez
The seeds for a grudge match between Yair Rodriguez and Diego Lopes were planted at the pre-fight press conference last Thursday. The animosity between both fighters and their camps briefly took over the event, fueling speculation that a win for each at UFC 314 could set the stage for a fiery featherweight title clash in the main event at UFC Noche this September.
Lopes’ loss to Volkanovski on Saturday changes the dynamic somewhat, but a fight between him and Rodriguez—possibly as the co-main event on that card—now feels like a no-brainer.
Jean Silva
Joe Rogan’s suggestion that Jean Silva (16-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) should face Yair Rodriguez wasn’t the worst idea in the world, but it’s likely that the unranked Brazilian will need to navigate a couple of slightly lower-tier challenges before mixing it up with the featherweight division’s elite.
Silva’s dismantling of 13th-ranked Bryce Mitchell on Saturday’s main card should earn him a spot in the rankings this week. And if the UFC decides to fast-track him up the division—similar to the path they gave Diego Lopes—they could match him up against 6th-ranked Brian Ortega (16-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who Lopes defeated at UFC 306 at the Sphere in September.
Dominick Reyes
After going five years without a victory, former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has now picked up three wins in less than twelve months.
“The Dominator” earned his third straight stoppage with a devastating knockout of Nikita Krylov in Saturday’s main card opener—a result that should see him break into the top ten when the new rankings are released this week.
Perhaps one more tough test is needed before Reyes is thrown back in with the division’s biggest names. Could a fight against the winner of Johnny Walker vs. Azamat Murzakanov—set for UFC 316 in June—be next?
