What Happened at UFC’s Spring Pay-Per-Views?

Champions proving their mettle, challengers pulling off upsets, up-and-coming fighters announcing their arrival, and experienced combatants demonstrating that they still have something left: UFC’s spring pay-per-views had it all. Before summer started to heat up, spring brought a bevy of action for fight fans. Let’s take a look back at UFC’s three spring PPVs.

UFC 314

Alexander Volkanovski reigned as featherweight champion from 2019 to 2024, but after consecutive losses in his two most recent fights, it was fair to ask whether the 36-year-old had much left in the tank.

A unanimous decision over Diego Lopes goes a long way toward answering that question. In the main event of UFC 314, the Australian controlled the action, using his jab to keep Lopes off balance on his way to winning a unanimous decision. Doubts remain as to whether “Old Man Volk” will be able to hold onto the belt at a time when the division is replete with young talent, but it he does, he could be considered the best featherweight ever.

In the co-main event, rising lightweight star Paddy Pimblett dominated Michael Chandler, finishing the American in the third round with a series of elbows. Pimblett’s talent and skill is no joke, but his most recent wins have been against fighters who are in their late 30s or older. While a matchup against champion Ilia Topuria may be on the horizon, the other marquee names in the division are all at least 35, meaning he’s entering his prime at an opportune time.

Coming into UFC 314, Patricio Pitbull was considered one of the best fighters never to compete in the UFC. Unfortunately for the former Bellator champion, his long-awaited UFC debut didn’t go according to plan, as he fell in a surprise loss to Yair Rodriguez. A motivated Rodriguez is something to see, and a potential bout with Diego Lopes could be next for the Mexican.

UFC 315

Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena were both riding double-digit unbeaten streaks heading into UFC 315, but the paths they took to the championship bout were drastically different. Whereas the 36-year-old Muhammad had spent nearly a decade in the UFC before capturing his first title, the 28-year-old Australian has rocketed to stardom so fast that he has yet to face a top-five fighter.

It was fair to ask, then, whether Muhammad would be too big a step up for the young Australian. Oddsmakers wondered the same, making Della Maddalena an underdog.

A scintillating performance proved he was more than ready. Over five grueling rounds, the Australian used his speed to beat his opponent to the punch while repelling his much-vaunted takedowns to claim a unanimous decision victory. Looming next could be a superfight against Islam Makalev. Della Maddalena will no doubt be an underdog again should that matchup occur—but, as he proved against Muhammad, he’s capable of beating the odds.

Prior to Muhammad–Della Maddalena, UFC legend Valentina Shevchenko squared off with French challenger Manan Fiorot in a cross-generational lightweight battle. In what was a highly competitive fight, Shevchenko once again proved her greatness by felling yet another young challenger—one who, in Fiorot’s case, had won 12 consecutive fights. For Shevchenko, the victory ties her for the record for most title-fight wins and sets up a possible legend-vs.-legend matchup against strawweight champion Zhang Weili.

Elsewhere on the card, UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo announced his retirement after a loss to Aiemann Zahabi, and one of the few woman to beat Shevchenko, Alexa Grasso, dropped a unanimous decision to Natalia Silva, who with her victory becomes a potential top contender at flyweight.

UFC 316

When Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley squared off at UFC 306, the result was a unanimous decision victory for the Republic of Georgia challenger. The second time around, the contest was even less competitive.

Proving that he may be the best bantamweight of all time, Dvalishvili smothered O’Malley for the entirety of the fight before submitting the American in round three. Dvalishvili’s pressure prevented O’Malley from utilizing his superior striking ability, while the Georgian’s own newfound striking skills added a new wrinkle to his already-formidable arsenal. Bad news for the bantamweight division: Dvalishvili is only getting better.

In another champion bout, Kayla Harrison defeated Julianna Peña by third-round submission. Peña never really challenged Harrison, who looked impressive—especially considering she had cut her weight to 135 pounds. Harrison’s next opponent will almost certainly be the greatest women’s fighter in UFC history, Amanda Nunes, who is coming out of retirement to face her former sparring partner.

Like his former Bellator compatriot Patricio Pitbull, Patchy Mix may have succumbed to “Octagon jitters,” turning in a bizarre performance in which he abandoned his aggressive style in an underwhelming loss to Mario Bautista. “Octagon jitters” refers to the tendency of fighters making their debut in the UFC to perform poorly out of nervousness.Elsewhere on the card, middleweight Joe Pyfer won a split-decision victory over fellow American Kelvin Gastellum, and welterweight Kevin Holland scored a second-round submission of Vincente Luque.