UFC 314 odds, predictions: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes pick

It’s still early, but UFC 314 just might wind up being the best top-to-bottom card of the year.

A whopping 13 fights are on this weekend, beginning at 6 p.m. ET with the prelims, which will be on prime-time ESPN programming.

Meanwhile, the main card jumps onto pay-per-view at 10 p.m. and is headlined by former champion Alexander Volkanovski, who is looking to reclaim his championship belt, opposite Diego Lopes.

Live from Miami, this weekend’s card should be fantastic, with title implications littered throughout the preliminaries and main card.

UFC 314 predictions

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes

The featherweight belt is vacant after Ilia Topuria knocked out the longtime champ in Volkanovski.

Lopes has a ton of power. He nearly knocked out Brian Ortega and is on a five-fight win streak.

Three of those five wins are by finishing, as he’s a very well-rounded fighter in both grappling and submissions.

However, his cardio is legitimately suspect, and Volkanovski does an excellent job chopping down his opponent’s lead leg.

That should spell out a dangerous combo for Lopes if he’s unable to knockout or submit Volkanovski early on.

Volkanovski has been knocked out in each of his last two fights.

Still, Lopes’ strength of schedule is so much lower than any title contender at featherweight we have seen in years past.

I suspect that Volkanovski wins by decision in this one as Lopes wilts down the stretch.

PICK: Volkanovski by decision (+240, Bet365 Sportsbook)

Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett

“Iron” Michael Chander has made a habit of losing inside the octagon, with just two wins in six fights.

Can he spring the upset against rising contender Paddy Pimblett?

Pimblett, 22-3, is undefeated in the UFC, but has looked extremely uneven in that time, having nearly lost to Jared Gordon and he even dropped a round to Tony Ferguson, who has lost eight straight.

Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps

Pimblett’s cardio is suspect, and Chandler should have the punching power edge.

The Englishman should have the grappling edge, although Chandler has been submitted just once and even Charles Oliveira couldn’t submit him when he had his back taken.

I’ll take the underdog here to get it done on the moneyline.

PICK: Chandler moneyline (+130, DraftKings)

UFC 314 full card picks

Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire: Pitbull by decision (+460, BetRivers)

Bryce Mitchell vs. Jean Silva: Fight starts round two (-280, DraftKings) for parlays

Nikita Krylov vs. Dominick Reyes: Bet Krylov “Over” takedown props on Bet365 when released

Dan Ige vs. Sean Woodson: Woodson by decision (+110, BetRivers)

Yan Xiaonan vs. Virna Jandiroba: Jandiroba by decision (+210, Caesars Sportsbook)

Jim Miller vs. Chase Hooper: Hooper by decision (+240, BetMGM)

Darren Elkins vs. Julian Erosa: Pass

Sedriques Dumas vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk: Oleksiejczuk by decision (+320, ESPN BET)

Sumudaerji vs. Mitch Raposo: Fight goes the distance (-138, Fanatics Sportsbook)

Tresean Gore vs. Marco Tulio: Tulio by TKO (+114, ESPN BET)

Nora Cornolle vs. Hailey Cowan: Fight goes to decision (-196, FanDuel)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.