UFC 314 LIVE: Date, UK start time, fight card and how to follow as Alexander Volkanovski aims to reclaim featherweight title
Alexander Volkanovski will look to reclaim his UFC featherweight title next month when he headlines UFC 314 against Diego Lopes. The Australian lost his belt to Ilia Topuria in February 2024 and he hasn’t stepped back into the octagon since. Volkanovski is back to try and reclaim his featherweight beltGetty However, Topuria has vacated the title to move up to lightweight and Volkanovski is returning to try and win it back one more time. He’s lost his last two bouts via knockout and now he faces Lopes who is on a five-fight win streak, last beating Brian Ortega in September. Elsewhere on the UFC 314 card, Paddy Pimblett is aiming to continue his unbeaten record against Michael Chandler. UFC 314: Date and how to follow This event will take place on Saturday, April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The early preliminary card is expected to get started at around 11pm UK time before the preliminaries start at around 1am. The main card is likely to get going from 3am UK time. Fans can watch the prelims on the UFC Fight Pass and more details on how to sign up can be found here. Volkanovski vs Lopes and the other main card bouts will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and you can find out more here. talkSPORT and talkSPORT.com will also keep you up to date with all the latest. To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream. You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM. Brazilian Lopes has lost just once in six UFC fightsGetty UFC 314: Fight card Subject to change Main card MAIN EVENT: Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes – for vacant UFC Featherweight Championship Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett Bryce Mitchell vs Jean Silva Geoff Neal vs Carlos Prates Yair Rodriguez vs Patricio Pitbull Preliminary card Nikita Krylov vs Dominick Reyes Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson Yan Xiaonan vs Virna Jandiroba Jim Miller vs Chase Hooper Early preliminary card Sedriques vs Michal Oleksiejczuk Darren Elkins vs Julian Erosa Sumudaejri vs Mitch Raposo Tresean Gore vs Marco Tulio Nora Cornolle vs Hailey Cowan Pimblett can move into the top 10 UFC lightweight rankings with a win over ChandlerGetty UFC 314: What has been said? 37-year-old Volkanovski has made a brutal admission about his UFC retirement plan. “I don’t know how much longer I have left in this,” he explained on The Ariel Helwani show. “I probably could go a few more years. I’m thinking of winning the belt, then defending [it]. “Even winning, I’m thinking: ‘You know what, I’m done’. Because how much longer do I want to do this? “This ain’t easy, especially to be at a level that I’m at, where my expectations, my normal, is very hard work. “It hurts, you’re in pain, you get stuck in. That’s what it takes to be elite and be the best and be at the top. I accept nothing but that. So it ain’t easy.” Meanwhile, Pimblett has identified his dream fight should he continue his unbeaten streak in the UFC against Chandler. He said: “It is one of them, it could happen. I don’t rule anything out. “Ask any MMA fighter around featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, if there is one person they would want to fight it is Conor McGregor. ”And that is just for money. We all know how much money that is going to put on the table. “If you could pick one person to fight every single person in the world is going to pick Conor McGregor and that is just because of the money, not because of anything else. “We are prizefighters at the end of the day, it is that simple.”
Alexander Volkanovski will look to reclaim his UFC featherweight title next month when he headlines UFC 314 against Diego Lopes.
The Australian lost his belt to Ilia Topuria in February 2024 and he hasn’t stepped back into the octagon since.
However, Topuria has vacated the title to move up to lightweight and Volkanovski is returning to try and win it back one more time.
He’s lost his last two bouts via knockout and now he faces Lopes who is on a five-fight win streak, last beating Brian Ortega in September.
Elsewhere on the UFC 314 card, Paddy Pimblett is aiming to continue his unbeaten record against Michael Chandler.
UFC 314: Date and how to follow
This event will take place on Saturday, April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
The early preliminary card is expected to get started at around 11pm UK time before the preliminaries start at around 1am.
The main card is likely to get going from 3am UK time.
Fans can watch the prelims on the UFC Fight Pass and more details on how to sign up can be found here.
Volkanovski vs Lopes and the other main card bouts will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and you can find out more here.
talkSPORT and talkSPORT.com will also keep you up to date with all the latest.
To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream. You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
UFC 314: Fight card
Subject to change
Main card
- MAIN EVENT: Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes – for vacant UFC Featherweight Championship
- Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett
- Bryce Mitchell vs Jean Silva
- Geoff Neal vs Carlos Prates
- Yair Rodriguez vs Patricio Pitbull
Preliminary card
- Nikita Krylov vs Dominick Reyes
- Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson
- Yan Xiaonan vs Virna Jandiroba
- Jim Miller vs Chase Hooper
Early preliminary card
- Sedriques vs Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Darren Elkins vs Julian Erosa
- Sumudaejri vs Mitch Raposo
- Tresean Gore vs Marco Tulio
- Nora Cornolle vs Hailey Cowan
UFC 314: What has been said?
37-year-old Volkanovski has made a brutal admission about his UFC retirement plan.
“I don’t know how much longer I have left in this,” he explained on The Ariel Helwani show.
“I probably could go a few more years. I’m thinking of winning the belt, then defending [it].
“Even winning, I’m thinking: ‘You know what, I’m done’. Because how much longer do I want to do this?
“This ain’t easy, especially to be at a level that I’m at, where my expectations, my normal, is very hard work.
“It hurts, you’re in pain, you get stuck in. That’s what it takes to be elite and be the best and be at the top. I accept nothing but that. So it ain’t easy.”
Meanwhile, Pimblett has identified his dream fight should he continue his unbeaten streak in the UFC against Chandler.
He said: “It is one of them, it could happen. I don’t rule anything out.
“Ask any MMA fighter around featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, if there is one person they would want to fight it is Conor McGregor.
”And that is just for money. We all know how much money that is going to put on the table.
“If you could pick one person to fight every single person in the world is going to pick Conor McGregor and that is just because of the money, not because of anything else.
“We are prizefighters at the end of the day, it is that simple.”
