UFC 314 gets a little better with each piece of news released about the card.
On Monday, a strong Fight of the Night candidate was added to the Miami pay-per-view: Darren “Damage” Elkins will take on Julian “Juicy J” Erosa.
Elkins has earned his nickname, and he’s been a bonus machine. He has received four bonuses in his last 14 fights, including a Fight of the Night in October 2024, when he outlasted Daniel Pineda.
The 40-year-old Elkins will be competing in his 41st professional MMA bout. After enduring a four-fight losing streak from 2018-2020, Elkins has rebounded to win five of his last seven.
Erosa has won four performance bonuses in his UFC career, and he’s been on a hot streak. The 35-year-old is on a two-fight win streak, with back-to-back victories via submission.
It wouldn’t be a shock if this one winds up winning FOTN.
Elkins vs. Erosa should fit in nicely on the prelims, and with the way this card is stacking up, it might have to be on the early prelims. Take a look at the potential UFC 314 lineup of fights.
Mind you, the rumored main event is still a big “if,” and the Bo Nickal fight remains unconfirmed. Still, take a look at these 10 fights and consider that if this turns out to be the card, there are likely two more bouts that would be added to the event.
UFC 314 – Potential Fight Card
(Rumored, Confirmed, and Possible Bouts)
- Ilia Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2 – UFC Featherweight Championship – RUMORED
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France 2 – UFC Flyweight Championship
- Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales – Welterweight
- Bo Nickal vs. ??? – Middleweight – POSSIBLE
- Nikita Krylov vs. Dominick Reyes – Light Heavyweight
- Virna Jandiroba vs. Xiaonan Yan – Strawweight
- Chase Hooper vs. Jim Miller – Lightweight
- Alberto Montes vs. Roberto Romero – (Weight Class Not Specified)
- Sumudaerji vs. Mitch Raposo – Flyweight
- Darren Elkins vs. Julian Erosa – Featherweight
What’s Next for the UFC?
There will be six ranked fighters in action for UFC Vegas 102 at the Apex on Saturday in Las Vegas. In the main event, No. 7 Jared Cannonier will try to fend off the hard-charging Gregory Rodrigues.
This is a fight between two guys headed in opposite directions. Cannonier has been falling from the Top 5, while Rodrigues is looking to grab a ranking. A win should land Rodrigues in the Top 10 and likely push Cannonier outside of it.
It could cause a ripple effect, as No. 15 Nickal might be pushed out of the rankings. Here’s a look at the lineup of fights:
UFC Vegas 102 – Fight Card
- No. 7 – Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues – Middleweight (185 lbs)
- No. 12 – Calvin Kattar vs. Youssef Zalal – Featherweight (145 lbs)
- Ismael Bonfim vs. Nazim Sadykhov – Lightweight (155 lbs)
- Jose Delgado vs. Connor Matthews – Featherweight (145 lbs)
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Dylan Budka – Middleweight (185 lbs)
- Rodolfo Vieira vs. Andre Petroski – Middleweight (185 lbs)
- No. 12 – Julia Avila vs. No. 13 – Jacqueline Cavalcanti – Bantamweight (135 lbs)
- Vince Morales vs. Elijah Smith – Bantamweight (135 lbs)
- Valter Walker vs. No. 15 – Don’Tale Mayes – Heavyweight (265 lbs)
- Rafael Estevam vs. Jesus Aguilar – Flyweight (125 lbs)
- No. 13 – Angela Hill vs. Ketlen Souza – Strawweight (115 lbs)
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Khaos Williams – Welterweight (170 lbs)
