Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes Prediction, Expert Picks & Odds: UFC 314
Former UFC featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski gets a shot at becoming a two-time champion tonight, as he meets Diego Lopes for the vacant divisional crown in UFC 314’s closer at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
The ex-titleholder is on a two-fight slump, having dropped a rematch to lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 before losing his strap to Ilia Topuria - both by KO - at UFC 298. Topuria has since vacated the throne to move up to lightweight, allowing Volkanovski to regain his former glory, ending his 14-month layoff.
Lopes, on the other hand, has claimed five straight wins since dropping his short-notice UFC debut to Movsar Evloev in May 2023. The Brazilian most recently competed in September at UFC 306, where he earned his title shot with a unanimous decision over a former challenger of Volkanovski’s, Brian Ortega.
🔮 Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes prediction & best bet for UFC 314
(Odds via our best UFC betting sites; UFC picks confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale)
- Fight prediction: Volkanovski to win (-142 via DraftKings) vs. Lopes ⭐⭐⭐
- My best bet: Volkanovski by decision (+220 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
🥊 Volkanovski vs. Lopes fight analysis
Between his age (36) and back-to-back knockout losses, Volkanovski’s proverbial window may be closing, but he’s got enough tread left on his tires to reclaim UFC gold. Facing a man who’s arguably at his best when creating chaos in the cage, Volkanovski’s path to victory goes through his wrestling.
Indeed, much like Evloev did against Lopes, the ex-champ will have to rely on his takedowns to slow the action down and keep Lopes on his back. Volkanovski has scored multiple takedowns in eight UFC contests and won all of them, and I see him relying on low kicks to keep Lopes honest and strike his way into his wrestling.
Luckily, Lopes is hittable, eating 4.11 significant strikes per minute. Look for Volkanovski to earn his respect on the feet before taking things to the mat and riding his busy top game to another UFC featherweight crown.
Despite his consecutive defeats by KO, Volkanovski enters Saturday’s headliner as the betting favorite, and you’ll find respectable value on the Aussie across our best sports betting sites. While BetMGM and FanDuel both offer -143 on a 27th career win for Volkanovski, it’s DraftKings leading the pack - ever so slightly - at -142.
Prediction: Volkanovski to win (-142 via DraftKings) | Implied probability: 58.68%
💎 Volkanovski vs. Lopes best bet
Having competed in nine straight title fights, Volkanovski is no stranger to championship rounds, an advantage he should exploit at Lopes’ expense. Of those nine bouts, the ex-champ has gone beyond the third round six times, and it behooves him to do the same against a foe who rarely ever sits still.
Whether he lulls Lopes into a false sense of security on the feet or tries imposing his will on the mat from the opening bell, Volkanovski would be wise to chew the clock. He’ll probably have to muscle his way out of a few submission attempts, but should he find his takedowns.
Volkanovski will remain busy on top, pepper Lopes with ground-and-pound, and use every minute of the 25 at his disposal to claim an 11th career win on points.
Promising payouts on a decision for Volkanovski are available at all of our best sports betting apps, with DraftKings and BetMGM each offering a solid +200. That said, FanDuel is home to our best bet for today's main event, listing a Volkanovski win on points at +220.
Best bet: Volkanovski by decision (+220 via FanDuel) | Implied probability: 31.25%
📊 Volkanovski vs. Lopes odds
Odds via DraftKings as of Saturday, April 12.
| Alexander Volkanovski | Method of victory | Diego Lopes |
|---|---|---|
| -142 | Win outright | +120 |
| +300 | Win by KO/TKO/DQ | +300 |
| +200 | Win by unanimous decision | +450 |
| +5000 | Draw | +5000 |
Volkanovski remains the favorite of UFC 314’s headliner less than 24 hours before fight night, and whether you’re siding with him or Lopes, you’ll find plenty of tempting betting lines to choose from.
While FanDuel has our best bet, DraftKings is also worth your attention, especially if you’re looking to cover your bases with a double-chance bet on either featherweight.
📏 Volkanovski vs. Lopes tale of the tape
| Alexander Volkanovski | Diego Lopes | |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | Age | 30 |
| 5’6” | Height | 5’11” |
| 145 lbs. | Weight | 145 lbs. |
| 71" | Reach | 72" |
| 26-4 | Record | 26-6 |
📺 Volkanovski vs. Lopes fight info: UFC 314
🗓️ Date: Saturday, April 12🕗 Time: Main card at 10 p.m. ET📍 Location: Kaseya Center (Miami)💻 Streaming: ESPN+ PPV
👑 Best UFC betting sites
Looking to bet on the UFC? Here are our best UFC betting sites as determined by our expert team at Sportsbook Review, along with our best sportsbook promos available for today's UFC event.
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUSDYW | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
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