Alexander
Volkanovski’s second coronation as
UFC featherweight champion didn’t come without a couple of
scares along the way.
Volkanovski and Diego Lopes
received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their
spirited duel in the UFC
314 headliner at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday night.
While Lopes dropped his opponent in Round 2 and had him reeling in
the fourth frame, Volkanovski landed with superior volume
throughout to claim a unanimous decision triumph.
Elsewhere, Paddy
Pimblett garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check
for a dominant victory against Michael
Chandler in the evening’s lightweight co-main event. The former
Cage Warriors champ put his adversary on the defensive with a
leaping knee that busted Chandler open before sealing his victory
with ground-and-pound to force the stoppage at the 3:07 mark of
Round 3.
Finally, surging featherweight contender Jean Silva
secured the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night”
bonus for his tapout of Bryce
Mitchell in a featured clash. The Brazilian denied the majority
of his foe’s takedown attempts before eventually trapping “Thug
Nasty” in a ninja choke for a submission triumph 3:52 into the
second period.