The stars are out in Miami with big stakes in multiple fights across the UFC 314 card.
Of course, the fights that are going to grab the headlines on April 12 are right at the top of the bill with a new featherweight champion being crowned when Alexander Volkanovski faces Diego Lopes.
Speaking of featherweight, Patricio Pitbull makes his highly anticipated UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez in a remarkable matchup.
Not to mention the co-main event where the lightweight division could have a new contender in the title picture if Paddy Pimblett is able to get past Michael Chandler.
One fight that has gone somewhat under the radar is the main card opener between two established names at light heavyweight who have put together strong winning streaks before meeting for the first time.
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
Both Nikita Krylov and Dominick Reyes have got some wins behind them coming into their top 15 clash at 205-pounds this Saturday.
Whilst Reyes’ previous highs, tough losses and recent resurgence has been well documented, Krylov has been a consistent dark horse of the division who tends to go about his business without receiving too much attention.
That’s not helped by the fact that he has been inactive for two years but before he went through a long absence, ‘The Miner’ put together a three-fight win streak.
His current run started back in July of 2022 where after suffering back-to-back losses, Krylov got the opportunity to welcome a legend of the sport back to the Octagon.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Alexander Gustafsson hadn’t fought in two years having been inducted into the Hall of Fame the year before for his classic title fight with Jon Jones.
Unfortunately for ‘The Mauler’, his return to light heavyweight didn’t last long after he was dropped with an overhand right just 11 seconds into the fight.
Krylov continued to overwhelm his opponent with knees before dropping him again with a big uppercut inside the clinch, recording one of the biggest wins of his career in London in just 1:07 of the first round.
He went on to beat Volkan Oezdemir later that year before submitting Ryan Spann the following March.
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Nikita Krylov has fought 18 times inside the Octagon having had two seperate stints in the promotion and yet, he is still only 32-years-old.
The fact that he’s still the #8-ranked contender in the division says a lot about the movement that has happened at light heavyweight in recent years meaning that he could be just two fights away from a title shot.
Dominick Reyes is in a similar position heading into UFC 314 meaning that the main card opener could have a huge impact on the landscape at 205-pounds.
As for the great Alexander Gustafsson, he left the UFC this past December to sign with the GFL where his debut against Ovince Saint Preux on May 25 was recently cancelled.
