UFC 314 takeaways: Paddy Pimblett exceeding expectations, but is title a pipe dream?

Virna Jandiroba made herself undeniable as the next strawweight title contender when she outworked Yan Xiaonan to a unanimous decision that extended her winning streak to five.

An argument could be made that Jandiroba (22-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) was already deserving of the shot in February against Zhang Weili, but Tatiana Suarez got it instead. That meant she had to reaffirm her position against another top contender in Xiaonan, and she did just that.

Jandiroba has done things the right way, and the hard way. Is a title bout against Weili going to move the needle to a significant degree? No. But she is the most deserving, and pretty much the only intriguing contender remaining. A finish would’ve generated a little more excitement, but regardless, she’s owed a chance.

Jean Silva said he was going to teach Bryce Mitchell a lesson in pain, and he did so by beating the controversial featherweight at his own game.

Silva (16-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) battered Mitchell around the octagon for nearly eight minutes before he snatched a ninja choke to seal the deal, and many observers were pleased to see it.

Mitchell deserved all the backlash he got after his controversial remarks earlier this year, and he got the ultimate form of karma inside the octagon. On the flip side, Silva is a very legitimate featherweight talent. He showed all facets of his game in the performance, and now it’s highly intriguing to see him face the next echelon of talent at 145 pounds, many of whom it might seem he could beat in definitive fashion, as well.

Paddy Pimblett had another big moment toward silencing the critics when he delivered a brutal, devastating and dominant performance against Michael Chandler that ended in a bloodbath third-round TKO.

Chandler had a couple early moments in the fight, but other than that it was all Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who showed vastly improved striking, strong wrestling and his trademark jiu-jitsu. He said prior to the fight that his naysayers are going to keep moving the goalposts, and now the narrative will be that Chandler has been a failure in the UFC and Pimblett should’ve beaten him all along.

That’s absolutely unfair to Pimblett, especially when you compare how he won to some of the other people who have beat Chandler in the UFC. It was a huge statement, and now he must be validated as elite. He called out the top five names at lightweight afterward, and whether it’s Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan or, hell, even Ilia Topuria, he absolutely, 100 percent deserves that type of fight. And if he wins it? Get ready for a true UFC star.

Not much more needs to be added to this. We all saw what happened at the press conference. Details are spilling out more and more about the history between Diego Lopes and Yair Rodriguez, as well as their respective teams.

This fight would’ve been massive had both men won. But even with Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) coming off his unanimous decision victory over Patricio Freire, and Lopes coming off his title-fight defeat, it’s a huge matchup that needs to happen at UFC 320 in Guadalajara on Sept. 13.

Alexander Volkanovski was fighting not only Diego Lopes in his return from a career-long layoff in a vacant featherweight title bout, but he was fighting a seemingly endless stream of narratives that pointed to him losing.

Let’s list a few of the things Volkanovski (27-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) had to overcome to get featherweight gold back around his waist, which he did with a unanimous decision triumph over Lopes:

The 35-and-older curse for athletes competing in title bout at lightweight and below
No fighter ever winning an undisputed UFC title after back-to-back losses
The rough stretch of results for fighters who do training videos with UFC personality Nina Drama.
Drake placing a $545,000 wager on him to win the fight
The PRIME sponsorship curse

Even before this win, Volkanovski was a certified future UFC Hall of Famer and arguably the featherweight GOAT. He only enhanced his stature, and now, after becoming a two-time champion, has a legacy that is unflappable.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.