UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes: Post Fight Matchmaking

Alexander Volkanovski

Following his win over Diego Lopes, Volkanovski regained his title in a hard-fought war. He already holds victories over four of the top five fighters in the featherweight division. Movsar Evloev deserves the next title shot. Volkanovski even called for Evloev in backstage interviews. With Movsar’s current win streak, this is a no-brainer fight to make.

Diego Lopes

Diego Lopes fell short Saturday night but proved he belongs at the top of the division. Earlier in the week, tensions were high at the press conference between Lopes and Rodríguez due to a previous incident. With Rodríguez coming off a win and Lopes narrowly missing out on the title, this matchup makes perfect sense. There’s history behind it, and both fighters bring styles that guarantee fireworks.

Michael Chandler

Chandler was a game opponent on Saturday night but was stopped in the third round. He’s slowly drifted down the rankings, but a fight with former title challenger Renato “Money” Moicano would be a great matchup. Both men are coming off losses and are known for delivering exciting fights.

Paddy Pimblett

Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett impressed viewers with a dominant performance over Chandler. After the fight, he called for “anyone in the top 4 or top 5,” listing off “Dustin, Justin, Charles, or the little posh boy Arman.” He also singled out Oliveira specifically. Backstage, Paddy even offered to welcome Ilia Topuria to the lightweight division. Any one of these matchups

would be a must-see fight.

Yair Rodríguez

Rodríguez called for a title shot after his win on Saturday. While he looked great, I believe Movsar Evloev is more deserving of the next title shot. In the meantime, Yair should face Diego Lopes in a number-one contender bout.

Patrício Pitbull

Pitbull lost to Yair in an incredibly tough debut. The UFC should give Patrício another chance at the rankings against Calvin Kattar, who is also coming off a loss.

Bryce Mitchell

Bryce Mitchell was submitted in the second round. I believe the UFC should match him up with Nathaniel Wood. It’s a great test for Wood and a chance to introduce him to the rankings, while also giving Bryce a shot at getting back into the win column.

Jean Silva

Silva delivered an impressive performance and should find himself ranked come Tuesday. He’s got momentum behind him and should be only fighting up from here, and a matchup with Josh Emmett would be perfect for that.

Nikita Krylov

After his loss on Saturday night, Krylov should face Bogdan Guskov, a fresh face in the light heavyweight top 15.

Dominick Reyes

Reyes is now on a three-fight win streak and should be entering the title conversation with a few more victories. A fight with Aleksandar Rakić would be a great test and an intresting matchup.