LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 07: (L-R) Opponents Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett during the UFC 314 … More
On paper, the UFC 314 pay-per-view card might be the best PPV card the UFC has staged since last April’s UFC 300. In the main event of UFC 314, former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski faces the fast-rising Diego Lopes for the vacant UFC featherweight title. Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Paddy Pimblett looks to continue his climb up the lightweight rankings when he faces former UFC 155-pound title challenger Michael Chandler. UFC 314 takes place on Saturday, April 12, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. We look at the picks, predictions, and betting odds for the UFC 314 fight card Chandler vs. Pimblett matchup.
UFC 314 Fight Card Co-Main Event: Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett
Michael Chandler
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 07: Michael Chandler is seen on stage during the UFC 314 press conference … More
Michael Chandler (23-9) missed a lot of time over the past few years waiting for a bout opposite Conor McGregor to come together. With that fight looking less likely by the day, Chandler returned to the Octagon on November 2024 to face former UFC champion Charles Oliveira. It was Chandler’s first foray into the cage since a 2022 loss to Dustin Poirier. Oliveira downed Chandler via decision at UFC 309.
Chandler joined the UFC in 2021 after a long and successful tenure with Bellator. As a competitor for that promotion from 2010 through 2020, Chandler was a three-time lightweight champion. He defended the title twice during his first run with the belt and once during his second stint as champ. His third run as Bellator lightweight champ ended with a TKO loss to Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, who is making his UFC debut at UFC 314.
Chandler is 2-4 with the UFC, but outside his 2022 matchup against a fading Tony Ferguson, the 38-year-old has only faced the elite of the division. In addition to his bouts against Poirier and Oliveira, he has met Dan Hooker and Justin Gaethje inside the Octagon.
Chandler’s UFC wins came against Hooker (TKO) and Ferguson (knockout). The former Bellator champ is the No. 7 ranked competitor in the official UFC lightweight rankings.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 07: Paddy Pimblett is seen on stage during the UFC 314 press conference at … More
Paddy Pimblett (22-3) is a former Cage Warriors lightweight champion. He has slowly been working his way up the UFC rankings since making his promotional debut in September 2021. Now 6-0 with the UFC, Pimblett looks to take a step up in competition against Chandler. Pimblett is coming off a UFC 304 “Performance of the Night” bonus-winning submission win over Bobby Green.
Pimblett had a successful run with the Cage Warriors promotion before he joined the UFC in 2021. During his time with Cage Warriors, which spanned 2013 through 2021, Pimblett won and defended the CW featherweight title and fought for that promotion’s lightweight crown.
Pimblett has been a fan favorite since he made his UFC debut and while some have been critical of the matchmaking the UFC have provided for Pimblett, something he addressed at the UFC 314 pre-fight press conference, Pimblett is in for a big test against Chandler.
Pimblett is the No. 12 ranked UFC 155-pound fighter.
UFC Fight Card Schedule For April 2025: Including UFC 314
UFC 314 Co-Main Event Betting Odds And Line Movement
When the opening odds were announced for this matchup, Chandler was the -140 favorite over the +120 Pimblett. Those odds have flipped. Today, Pimblett is a -146 favorite, while Chandler is the +126 betting underdog.
*Odds via BetOnline
UFC 314 Fight Card Tale Of The Tape: Michael Chandler Vs. Paddy Pimblett
Michael Chandler
Age: 38
Height: 5’ 8”
Reach: 71”
Stance: Orthodox
Paddy Pimblett
Age: 30
Height: 5’ 10”
Reach: 73”
Stance: Orthodox
UFC 314 Fight Card Predictions and Picks: Michael Chandler Vs. Paddy Pimblett
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 07: Paddy Pimblett is seen on stage during the UFC 314 press conference at … More
The burning questions ahead of the UFC 314 co-main event are: Has Paddy Pimblett shored up his striking defense and will Michael Chandler be less focused on putting on a crowd-pleasing performance? The answers to those questions will go a long way toward determining who will walk away from Saturday’s event with the victory.
Pimblett is 30, which is to say, he’s had a lot of time to work on his striking defense. The fact that he carries his chin incredibly high and seems to rely on the belief that he can’t be knocked out is worrisome. Sooner or later that hubris will catch up to him. Saturday, could be that day because Chandler throws with a lot of power.
That leads us to the other dilemma of this fight. Chandler is a skilled competitor. However, he has seemed much more focused on entertaining UFC fans than fighting for victories under the UFC banner. With that, he can focus on chasing knockouts, which has led to some of his losses. If he’s reckless in his striking, Pimblett will take Chandler down and dominate the fight on the mat. Chandler must be offensively sound, but also aggressive if he hopes to beat Pimblett.
In the big picture, Pimblett has more ways to win this fight and he is the betting pick. However, I wouldn’t hesitate in making a value bet on Chandler to win via knockout in the co-main event of UFC 314.
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We will have more on UFC 314 Chandler vs. Pimblett scrap as fight night nears, as well as live results, reactions, highlights and more for the UFC 314 pay-per-view card on fight night.
