5 questions that could be answered at UFC 314

This weekend sees UFC 314 take place in Miami, Florida. If things go well, this could be one of the best events of 2025.

UFC 314: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes is a great card on paper, and hopefully, some major questions will be answered. Whether these answers only produce further questions, of course, remains to be seen, as MMA remains as unpredictable as ever.

Here are five questions that could be answered at UFC 314: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes.

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#5. Can Dominick Reyes continue his unlikely resurgence?

At the end of 2022, it looked for all intents and purposes like Dominick Reyes had reached the end of his UFC career.

Once considered the brightest prospect in the light heavyweight division, 'The Devastator' pushed Jon Jones to his limits in early 2020, losing by razor-close decision. When Jones then vacated his title, Reyes looked well-positioned to claim it.

Unfortunately, he instead fell to Jan Blachowicz via knockout, and then suffered KO losses to Jiri Prochazka and Ryan Spann, leaving him close to the scrap-heap.

Proving to be smarter than many of his peers, though, Reyes took the best part of two years off following the loss to Spann, and returned last year.

The return of 'The Devastator' was a pleasant surprise, as he took out two tough opponents in Dustin Jacoby and Anthony Smith. This weekend sees him faced with Nikita Krylov, and given 'The Miner' is ranked at No. 8, a big win for Reyes could vault him back into the top ten.

So does Reyes really have what it takes to climb back into contention? At the age of 35, time is still on his side. Moreover, at his best, 'The Devastator' does match well with some of the fighters above him, including Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr.

Krylov, who is on a three-fight win streak but hasn't fought in two years, could be the perfect barometer for him. 'The Miner' is more durable than Smith and more dangerous overall than Jacoby.

If Reyes can overcome him, then it'll be fair to say that he's back.

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#4. Will Patricio Pitbull be able to make a mark in his UFC debut?

UFC 314's main card will see the octagon debut of one of the most successful fighters in Bellator history, former featherweight and lightweight champ Patricio Pitbull.

The Brazilian holds wins over the likes of Michael Chandler and AJ McKee, and garnered a reputation as one of MMA's most fearsome strikers during his 14-year stint with the promotion.

However, we've seen countless champions and great fighters from other promotions fail in their UFC debut before. The likes of Takanori Gomi, Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, Hector Lombard, and Luke Rockhold all struggled in their first visit to the octagon.

So can Pitbull join the short list of outliers that includes Chandler and Justin Gaethje?

The Brazilian hasn't been given a softball in Miami, as he's faced with former interim featherweight champ Yair Rodriguez. While 'El Pantera' is talented, though, his durability is also questionable, giving Pitbull an avenue for success.

However, whether he's left this move too late in his career - he's 37 years old now - will be a question that should hopefully be answered this weekend.

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#3. Is beating Michael Chandler a step too far for Paddy Pimblett?

Every fighter in the UFC looking to go from prospect to contender has to take a step up in competition at some point. For the most part, though, any steps up tend to be increment ones.

This weekend, though, it's fair to say that Paddy Pimblett is not just attempting to climb the ladder at 155 pounds. He's basically attempting to leap up four or five rungs when he takes on perrenial contender Michael Chandler.

'Iron Mike' is widely considered one of the most dangerous lightweights on the roster. He's fought the likes of Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Dan Hooker and while he hasn't beaten all of them, he pushed every one to the limit.

Pimblett, meanwhile, would probably call Bobby 'King' Green or the washed-up version of Tony Ferguson his best win to date. Essentially, he's never fought anyone on the level of Chandler.

So is 'Iron Mike' going to be a step too far for 'The Baddy', or is the native of Liverpool far better than most observers think? It's a question that will almost certainly be answered this weekend, as Pimblett is either likely to somehow win - or get destroyed instead.

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#2. Is Diego Lopes UFC champion material, or just a flash in the pan?

UFC 314's headliner will see the vacant featherweight title on the line, as former champion Alexander Volkanovski takes on No. 3-ranked Diego Lopes.

It's an absolutely fascinating fight, and part of that fascination comes because there are still plenty of questions around Lopes.

The Mexico-based Brazilian has shot like a rocket up the rankings since his late-notice debut in 2023. He's now won five in a row, and most recently beat Brian Ortega impressively.

However, due to the speed of his climb up the ladder, we don't really know whether Lopes is the real deal or just a flash in the pan.

Outside of Ortega, his best win is probably Dan Ige or Pat Sabatini, and neither men are true elite-level opponents.

Lopes clearly has very dangerous skills, both standing and on the ground, but will his explosive, somewhat reckless style work against a top-class veteran like Volkanovski? It's something we just won't know until fight time.

If Lopes can pull this off, then nobody will be able to deny him any more. For now, though, the strength of his hand will remain slightly hidden until this weekend.

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#1. Is Alexander Volkanovski past his prime?

While there are some questions around how good Diego Lopes really is prior to UFC 314, the same questions cannot be asked about his opponent Alexander Volkanovski.

'Alexander the Great' is as battle-tested as it comes in the octagon. The former featherweight champion's resume speaks for itself. His wins over Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, and Yair Rodriguez marking him as the greatest 145-pound fighter of all time.

However, there is one question hanging over the Australian as he heads to Miami. That question is how much he has left in the tank.

Volkanovski has been with the UFC since 2016, and has been fighting professionally since 2012. At the age of 36, he's probably just about past his athletic prime.

More importantly, his last two fights have seen him knocked out violently at the hands of Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.

There's no shame in losing to either man, but given that you've now got to go back to 2023 to find his last win, asking whether he's now past his best seems like a valid question.

This weekend should see that question answered. Lopes is probably his least-heralded foe since Darren Elkins all the way back in 2018. Sure, the Brazilian is talented, but he's still an opponent Volkanovski should beat, if he's still at his best.

Overall, then, we should find out how much the Aussie has left after this fight. If the answer is not a lot, and he suffers a loss, calls for him to hang his gloves up may increase substantially.