UFC 314: Start time, schedule, fight card, how to watch and odds

It is a huge bout in store for Liverpool favourite ‘Paddy the Baddy’, who wants to prove that he belongs among the 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.

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 relinquished by Ilia Topuria – who ended 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 four-time Bellator world champion Patricio Pitbull makes his highly-anticipated UFC debut 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.

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.