Alexander Volkanovski regains the gold at UFC 314
Plus–a look at WWE’s new WrestleMania IX documentary
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Alexander Volkanovski turns back the clock at UFC 314
Alexander Volkanovski is back on top of the UFC featherweight division.
Coming off two knockout losses, and operating in the dreaded over-35-year-old realm, Volkanovski overcame loads of adversity to defeat Diego Lopes by unanimous decision at UFC 314, seizing hold of the vacant featherweight title with the victory.
This felt like a bout designed to crown Lopes as the new champion, but he never capitalized on the moment. Volkanovski outclassed Lopes (26-7), controlled four of the five rounds and using his championship mettle to overcome his less seasoned opponent. With the win, Volkanovski (27-4) takes another step toward becoming the greatest featherweight in UFC history.
Here are the results from UFC 314:
Dominick Cruz knocked out Nikita Krylov
Jean Silva defeated Bryce Mitchell by submission
Yair Rodríguez defeated Patrício “Pitbull” Freire by unanimous decision
Paddy Pimblett defeated Michael Chandler by TKO
Alexander Volkanovski defeats Diego Lopes by unanimous decision to win the vacant featherweight title
On a night where newest UFC Hall of Fame inductee Amanda Nunes announced that she will be coming out of retirement to fight the winner of the Kayla Harrison-Julianna Pena bout, UFC 314 marked the Octagon debut of Patrício “Pitbull” Freire. It wasn’t his finest performance, as he was overwhelmed by Yair Rodríguez. At 37, it is worth asking whether Freire, the longtime Bellator star, waited too long to sign with UFC.
The career renaissance of Dominick Reyes continued at UFC 314. Reyes looked finished when he was knocked out in a vicious manner by Ryan Spann at Madison Square Garden in November of 2022, but eer since, he has gone on to win three in a row. If Reyes (15-4) can win one more, he will be in light heavyweight title consideration. Of course, the last time he fought for the title was when he came precariously close to defeating Jon Jones–and it would be amazing to see him earn another crack at the belt.
In the pay-per-view opener, Jean Silva crushed Bryce Mitchell. Their careers are moving in two different directions: Mitchell (17-3) has now dropped three of his last five, while Silva extended his winning streak to 13. The win also allowed Silva (16-2) to remain undefeated in the UFC, having won all five of his bouts.
UFC 314 also featured a career-defining performance by Paddy Pimblett, who obliterated Michael Chandler. Pimblett drilled Chandler with a knee that inflicted incredible damage, which effectively ended the bout.
Pimblett (23-3) may have earned himself an even higher-profile bout against the likes of Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, or Dustin Poirier after manhandling Chandler on the feet and on the ground. Oliveira, Gaethje, Poirier, and Arman Tsarukyan, who are the elite of the title contenders, would all cause significant issues for Pimblett. Yet it is remarkable that Pimblett has advanced this far in the UFC.
With the loss, Chandler (23-10) drops to 2-5 in the UFC. The end is near for the 38-year-old (39 later this month) after this drubbing.
And the main event delivered. Volkanovski withstood blows from Lopes, and continually landed shots. Once the fifth round ended, the decision was inevitable: Volkanovski was going to reclaim his throne.
What happens next will be fascinating. Yair Rodríguez believes he is in line for the next title shot, but is there an appetite for that rematch? On the subject of rematches, would the fight world be interested in a fourth fight between Volkanovski and Max Holloway? Or will Movsar Evloev finally get his shot? Clearly, plenty of options exist in the featherweight division.
Daylight savings took place a month ago, but it happened again last night in Miami. Volkanovski delivered a throwback performance in the Octagon, and the night ended with him regaining the gold.
WrestleMania IX documentary is well worth the watch
So often in pro wrestling, the best content happens behind the curtains.
That was visible in WWE’s new documentary on WrestleMania IX, Becoming a Spectacle, which is Executive Producer Ben Houser’s latest project. Even though it was not a memorable in-ring event, backstage politics and an iconic Vegas setting have allowed WrestleMania IX to stand the test of time.
Of course, missing was the star of the show: Vince McMahon. Currently persona non grata from WWE, McMahon stole every scene he was in, especially flexing in the ring during Lex Luger’s “Narcissist” rehearsal. Interviews with McMahon, specifically regarding the venue at Caesars Palace, his work promoting a “Sugar” Ray Leonard-Danny Lalonde bout from 1988, and his decision to have Hulk Hogan leave WrestleMania IX as WWE champion, all would have been extraordinarily captivating. Bruce Prichard effectively spoke on McMahon’s behalf, but there is no replacing McMahon, who oversaw the entire spectacle.
This event stood as a crossroads for WWE. By the next year’s WrestleMania, gone were Hogan, Ted DiBiase (who retired from wrestling but did stay with the company as a manager), Gene Okerlund, Bobby Heenan, Brutus Beefcake, and, for all intents and purposes, the Steiner Brothers.
In a very small role, Scott Steiner played a very important part in the documentary when he revealed that it was “Macho Man” Randy Savage who gave Hogan his infamous black eye ahead of WrestleMania IX. But that was a story that needed far more details.
Hogan explained his side of the story, stating that it happened during a jet ski accident–and that the Savage rumors were false. Beefcake backed up Hogan’s story in a separate interview. We never heard Steiner explain what would have led to Savage punching Hogan, which needed to be included in the doc. If you’re going to tease that story, you need to follow through on it–yet this documentary never did.
Beefcake also made it sound like he wrapped up his career with his WrestleMania IX tag match, when the truth is he went on to wrestle in WCW with (and against) Hogan. And it was never mentioned that Hogan and Savage went on to have great success together in WCW.
Another story that was touched on with no follow-up was Luger’s claim that Curt Hennig wasn’t himself during their match at WrestleMania IX. It’s true that their bout did not live up to the high standards Hennig had set during his run as Mr. Perfect, and Luger speculated that Hennig had had too much caffeine before the match–but there was no further insight into that. Somewhat surprisingly, the debut of Luna Vachon, who accompanied Shawn Michaels to the ring for his show-opening match against Tatanka, was never mentioned.
It would have made sense to mention Luna, as she added to the spectacle of WrestleMania IX. And far, far too much attention was given to Doink The Clown’s storyline against Crush, which was far from a cinematic masterpiece.
I also wish there was more of an emphasis on interviews from those who are still alive. As nice as it was to hear the perspective of Kofi Kingston, Nattie Neidhart, Colin Cowherd, and Sam Roberts, it would have been even more beneficial to listen to first-hand stories from Tatanka, Tito Santana (who worked the dark match against Papa Shango, who spoke out of character as Charles Wright), and even Todd Pettengill, who was brand new to the company. Jim Ross returned for a brief cameo, adding fuel to the belief that he will be back with WWE when his AEW contract is up.
And yes, time was spent discussing Nick Khan working the event as an usher. Khan is now WWE President, so you knew this was bound to be covered.
Overall, it is well worth the watch. Even if some critical areas were left unanswered, this was a fascinating look at one of a very unique WrestleMania.
The Rock wearing a New Japan shirt sets off all sorts of speculation
The Rock wore a New Japan Pro-Wrestling shirt on his latest Instagram post, which instantly ignited all sorts of speculation on social media.
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