It is a huge bout in store for Liverpool favourite ‘Paddy the Baddy’, who wants to prove that he belongs among the world’s top lightweights in his first outing since a stunning first-round submission of King Green at UFC 304 in Manchester last summer.
Pimblett, currently ranked at No12 in a division ruled over by reigning pound-for-pound No1 Islam Makhachev, is unbeaten in his six UFC fights to date after decision wins over Tony Ferguson and Jared Gordon – the latter of whom was very unfortunate to lose – followed submissions of Jordan Leavitt and Rodrigo Vargas and a knockout debut against Luigi Vendramini.
But the 30-year-old faces a clear step up in a five-round test against Chandler, the three-time Bellator lightweight champion who spent two years trying to fight Conor McGregor before finally returning with a decision defeat in a rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 in New York in November.
Much fanfare initially greeted the tough and skilled American’s move from Bellator to the UFC in 2021, but he’s not hit the heights since his opening first-round stoppage of Dan Hooker, having only otherwise beat Ferguson and lost four of his last five – albeit against very high-level opposition in Oliveira (twice), Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier.
Step up: Michael Chandler should prove to be Paddy Pimblett’s toughest opponent to date in the UFC
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The UFC 314 bill is headlined by former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes battling to win the vacant belt at 145lbs that was surprisingly relinquished by Ilia Topuria – who ended Australian Volkanovski’s four-year reign to win it in the first place – back in February ahead of his move up to lightweight.
Also on the main card, Bryce Mitchell and Jean Silva collide in something of a featherweight grudge match, Brazil’s legendary four-time Bellator world champion Patricio Pitbull makes his highly-anticipated UFC debut aged 37 against Yair Rodriguez and there’s a light-heavyweight showdown between two experienced campaigners in Nikita Krylov and Dominick Reyes.
UFC 314 takes place on Saturday April 12, 2025 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
UFC 314 start time and schedule
The early prelims at UFC 314 are due to get underway from 11pm BST on Saturday night, which is 6pm ET and 3pm PT in the United States.
The main prelims should begin at 1am BST in the early hours of Sunday morning, which is 8pm ET and 5pm PT.
The main card action is expected to commence at 3am BST, 10pm ET and 7pm PT. As ever, those exact timings are subject to change.
UFC 314 fight card in full
Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes – for the vacant men’s UFC featherweight championship
Michael Chandler vs Paddy Pimblett
Yair Rodriguez vs Patricio Pitbull
Bryce Mitchell vs Jean Silva
Nikita Krylov vs Dominick Reyes
Yan Xiaonan vs Virna Jandiroba
Jim Miller vs Chase Hooper
Darren Elkins vs Julian Erosa
Sedriques Dumas vs Michal Oleksiejczuk
Su Mudaerji vs Mitch Raposo
Tresean Gore vs Marco Tulio
Nora Cornolle vs Hailey Cowan
Another chance: Alexander Volkanovski lost the UFC featherweight title to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 last year
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TV channel: In the UK, the UFC 314 main card and prelims can be viewed live on TNT Sports 1, where coverage begins at 1am BST on Sunday morning.
Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also watch live online via the Discovery+ app and website.
The early prelims are available to watch live via UFC Fight Pass. In the USA, the event is being shown by ESPN+.
Live blog: You can follow every fight on Saturday night with Standard Sport’s live blog.
Alexander Volkanovski to win: 4/5
Michael Chandler to win: 6/5
Paddy Pimblett to win: 4/6
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
