By
Blake Roberts
Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 08 February 2023
Blake Roberts Founder & Editor in Chief
Blake Roberts is the founder of Betting.US and is currently heading the creative team as Editor in Chief. Born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, Blake is a great sports fan, with football and basketball being his favorite. He’s our trusted voice for all betting-related matters.
Fight fans didn’t have to wait long as one of the biggest potential matchups in the current combat sports era comes together in just the second month of 2023. For all the bettors out there, we compiled the comprehensive overview of the best UFC online betting sites with the odds, and predictions for the UFC 284. On this night, Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s spiritual successor and long-time training partner, will face off against Featherweight great Alexander Volkanovski in the latter’s backyard in Perth, Australia.
The two fighters have been at the pinnacle of their respective divisions since winning their titles, respectively. Alexander Volkanovski has remained the featherweight champion since taking the title from Max Holloway in 2019. However, his undefeated streak dates back to December 2013, when he suffered the only defeat of his mixed martial arts career.
His rival, Islam Makhachev’s career, has followed a similar trajectory. The Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov protege has only one loss since his debut in 2012. While he has not had any title defenses since winning the belt from Charles Oliveira, Makhachev is one of the bogeymen of the lightweight division who struggles to get a fight as opponents don’t want to face him as if they already know what they’ll be going up against.
Since Makhachev’s UFC debut in 2015, he has dominated all but one of his opponents. He earned four finishes in a row before being awarded the title shot, during which he also finished as the reigning champion. He entered that fight as the -190 favorite, with those being the shortest odds since his third fight in the UFC against Chris Wade, where he was a -130 favorite.
Staying true to the trend, Makhachev goes into this fight as a -400 betting favorite. In the bookmakers’ opinion, this translates to a win probability of 80 percent. Entering bouts as an overwhelming favorite is familiar to Makhachev, who has now taken over the flagbearer mantle from his teammate Khabib.
On the other hand, Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski will be a +300 underdog on fight night. A $10 bet on him would pay out $40, should he overcome the steep odds and get a win against Makhachev. Alex Volkanovski has not been an underdog since his first fight against Max Holloway at 245, where he carried +145 odds. Since taking the belt and defending it four times, he has remained a betting favorite. UFC 287 will be the first time that “The Great” will be a heavy underdog in recent years.
Since his UFC debut in 2015, Makhachev has largely dominated his opponents. His early performances would often fly under the radar as he remained in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s shadow, but Makachev has done well to let the world know that he is here to stay since Nurmagomedov’s retirement in 2021.
In terms of statistics, Makhachev has the advantage in almost all departments, with slightly better strike accuracy and massive differentials in submission attempts, takedown attempts, and takedown accuracy. Experts and fighters agree that the easiest path to victory for Makhachev is to take Volkanovski down, pin him and submit him, or attempt to take him down repeatedly until he achieves psychological victory.
While it is not known to many, Alexander Volkanovski is a former national wrestling champion in Australia. However, there’s a significant gap between the levels of wrestling in Australia and Dagestan, making for lopsided odds in his upcoming championship super fight.
On the stats sheet, Volkanovski has the advantage in the striking department, having nearly 3 times more significant strikes landed per minute than Islam Makhachev. However, this is a classic case of wrestler vs striker, and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to use his striking effectively against a top-tier wrestler and grappler who also holds a significant size advantage.
Unless the oddsmakers have it wrong, which they rarely do, we see this fight going in Islam Makhachev’s favor. He’s bigger, stronger, and more skilled as a wrestler. However, this is MMA, and anything can happen.
Should he get carried away, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that Volkanovski can score the surprise knockout against someone who has been on the receiving end of one such finish earlier in his career. Still, we believe that Makhachev has what it takes to overcome the burly Aussie.
If you find the odds on the main event too steep, there are several other sleeper fights to be found on UFC betting apps which are bound to provide great betting opportunities. Check out the odds on any of these main card fights if you find the odds on the main event too steep for your liking:
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