Paddy Pimblett is set to make his highly anticipated return to the Octagon at UFC 314.
“The Baddy” will face experienced veteran Michael Chandler in the co-main event at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Pimblett`s last fight was in July of last year at UFC 304 in Manchester, where he defeated King Green with a first-round triangle choke.
Chandler, a former three-time Bellator lightweight world champion, is looking to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 in November.
This upcoming bout is significant as it pits the No. 7 and No. 12 ranked fighters in the lightweight division against each other, both aiming to climb the rankings and eventually challenge for the title.
Islam Makhachev currently holds the lightweight belt and is also ranked No. 1 in the men`s pound-for-pound rankings.
Pimblett was not on the card when the UFC returned to the UK for Leon Edwards` fight against Sean Brady at the O2 Arena last month.
Instead, he was present to witness his friend Molly McCann`s retirement announcement after her defeat to Alexia Thainara.
Pimblett was visibly emotional after McCann’s loss and will be motivated to perform well in Miami, dedicating his fight to McCann, whom he referred to as his “big sister” on Instagram.
UFC 314 Main Card and Fight Lineup
The main event will feature Alex Volkanovski defending his featherweight title against Diego Lopes.
Two additional featherweight fights are scheduled for the undercard: Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Pitbull, and Bryce Mitchell vs. Jean Silva.
In the light heavyweight division, Nikita Krylov will face Dominick Reyes. A welterweight bout between Geoff Neal and Carlos Pirates was cancelled due to Neal`s elbow injury requiring surgery.
The preliminary card includes featherweight matchups between Dan Ige and Sean Woodson, and Darren Elkins and Julian Erosa.
Also on the prelims, Jim Miller will face Chase Hooper in the lightweight division, and Yan Xiaonan will compete against Virna Jandiroba in a women`s strawweight bout.
Main Card
- Alex Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes (vacant featherweight title)
- Paddy Pimblett vs Michael Chandler (lightweight bout)
- Yair Rodriguez vs Patricio Pitbull (featherweight bout)
- Bryce Mitchell vs Jean Silva (featherweight bout)
- Nikita Krylov vs Dominick Reyes (light-heavyweight bout)
Prelims
- Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson (featherweight bout)
- Yan Xiaonan vs Virna Jandiroba (women`s strawweight bout)
- Jim MIller vs Chase Hooper (lightweight bout)
- Darren Elkins vs Julian Erosa (featherweight bout)
Early Prelims
- Sedrigues Dumas vs Michal Oleksiejczuk (middleweight bout)
- Su Mudaerji vs Mitch Raposo (flyweight bout)
- Tresean Gore vs Marco Tulio (middleweight bout)
- Nora Cornlle vs Hailey Cowan (women`s bantamweight bout)
When is UFC 314?
- UFC 314 is scheduled for Saturday, April 12th, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
- The early prelims will begin at 11pm BST, followed by the regular prelims at 1am BST on Sunday.
- The main card is expected to start at 3am BST on Sunday.
How to Watch UFC 314
- In the UK, TNT Sports will broadcast UFC 314. Subscribers can also stream the event on discovery+.
- In the US, ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass are the streaming options.
Elton Marrow 
Gideon Holt