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The main card of Saturday’s UFC 314 fight card featured some statement-making victories. In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski won the vacant UFC featherweight title, while further down the card, former UFC featherweight title challenger Yair Rodriguez defeated former two-division Bellator champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. However, the two biggest wins at UFC 314, when it comes to the UFC rankings, belonged to Paddy Pimblett and Jean Silva.
UFC Rankings: Paddy Pimblett
Paddy Pimblett entered UFC 314 outside the top 10 of the UFC’s lightweight division. The 30-year-old was 6-0 under the UFC banner heading into the event and coming off a July 2024 submission win over Bobby Green when he stepped into the Octagon to face former UFC lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler, who was ranked No. 7 heading into UFC 314.
Pimblett dispatched Chandler with relative ease, ending the fight via TKO in the third round.
After the event, I wrote of Pimblett, “Paddy Pimblett took what Michael Chandler gave him, which was an opportunity to grab the spotlight, and Pimblett did that on Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 314.
“Chandler fought a little less recklessly than usual but attacked in a straight line while winging wide punches. That allowed Pimblett to use his speed and size to light up Chandler on the feet, including timing and landing a knee at the start of the third stanza, opening an enormous gash under Chandler’s left eye. Not long after that, Pimblett finished the fight with strikes on the mat.
Pimblett looked very good in this matchup. The win should earn him a fight against the lightweight division’s elite. He said he wouldn’t mind facing Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, or Charles Oliveira.”
With his dominant win, Pimblett surged to No. 8 in the official UFC rankings.
UFC 314: Paddy Pimblett Calls Out Top Lightweights And Conor McGregor
UFC Rankings: Jean Silva
Despite having a 4-0 UFC record with four knockouts and two fight-night bonus awards, Jean Silva entered UFC 314 without a ranking. His opponent on the card, Bryce Mitchell, was ranked inside the top 15, but he had a tenuous grasp on that ranking, having alternated wins and losses over his five previous contests. Mitchell lost his ranking when Silva choked him out in the second round for his first submission win under the UFC banner and his third-straight bonus.
I wrote of Silva, “Jean Silva was confident and comfortable throughout his fight against Bryce Mitchell. No one can say that the man does not love his job.
“Silva, known for his striking, used those skills to set up the submission that ended the fight against Mitchell.
“Silva is working his way up the featherweight rankings and having a good time doing so. He is now 5-0 in the UFC with four knockouts and now a submission.”
Silva made his UFC rankings debut at No. 11 in the 145-pound division.
Jean Silva Thanks Bryce Mitchell For His Newfound Fame After UFC 314
UFC Rankings: Alexander Volkanovski
History might have been against Alexander Volkanovski, but the 36-year-old Australian, who was coming off back-to-back knockout losses, ignored that noise to become a two-time UFC featherweight champion with a vintage “Volk” performance against the young, up-and-coming Diego Lopes at UFC 314.
Volkanovski faced adversity during the fight, but his experience and ability to work through tough spots paid dividends as he kept his composure even when hurt and cut, fighting defensively long enough to regain his senses and then come back to take the fight to his foe. Lopes knocked down Volkanovski in the second round, but Volkanovski’s landing rate of 61 percent dwarfed that of Lopes, who connected on just 32 percent of his significant strikes. It was the first time Loped landed fewer than 49 percent of his attempts in a fight where he landed a significant strike.
It’s hard to say what the future holds for Volkanovski, and it’s likely he’s not thinking about what’s next right now either, but for now, the two-time champ can rest easy knowing he’s one-on-one when it comes to what he accomplished in getting his belt back.
With his decision win at UFC 314, Volkanovski moved up to No. 9 in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
UFC Rankings: Yair Rodriguez
Yair Rodriguez moved up a notch to No. 4 in the UFC featherweight division with his decision win on Saturday.
Rodriguez used his length, size, and kickboxing ability to frustrate and dominate Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Rodriguez seemed to have the fight in the bag after two rounds, but he did not play it safe in the third round, knocking down Freire and going to the finish.
After the win, Rodriguez said he was promised a title fight with a win, and he called for the victor of the UFC 314 main event.
Check out all the movement in the updated UFC rankings.
