By
Blake Roberts
Founder & Editor in Chief Updated: 10 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.
Islam Makhachev and Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski are set to square off in one of the most anticipated MMA super fights in the modern era. Both fighters are the bogeymen of their respective divisions, who have cleaned out the competition and look set to reign at the top for the foreseeable future. With the fight being so competitive and unpredictable, deciding of whom to bet on can be difficult. We will break down odds and predictions from multiple UFC betting sites to try and predict the outcome.
Alexander Volkanovski has bigger goals than to attain featherweight GOAT status, prompting him to jump up a weight class and challenge Makhachev for the lightweight title, which is commendable considering Islam is a much larger man and has had only a single defeat in his entire professional career.
Odds:
Islam Makhachev: -400
Alexander Volkanovski: +300
Prediction:
Alexander Volkanovski is a couple of fights away from being the GOAT of the 145-pound division of the UFC. His championship reign is over three years long, and he has soundly beaten everyone who has stepped up to face him, including former Featherweight champ Max Holloway. While their first fight was a controversial decision, his latter two performances would put away any doubts as to who the true featherweight king is.
Trained by the late legendary coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev can be considered the best wrestler in the UFC since Khabib’s retirement. Khabib would even go on to say that Islam has specific strengths that even he cannot contend with.
While Volkanovski has a highly impressive takedown defense at 73%, he has never faced a fighter with as much wrestling skill and raw physical strength as Islam Makhachev. The Dagestani has what it takes to take Volkanovski down as many times as he needs to get the finish, and this is why the sportsbooks see Makhachev as a huge favorite in this bout.
Pick:
Islam Makhachev to win by submission
Odds:
Yair Rodriguez: -170
Josh Emmett: +140
Prediction:
While Alexander Volkanovski is away chasing lightweight gold, the interim featherweight title will be up for grabs. Yair Rodriguez, the flamboyant Mexican fighter, will be facing off against the gritty Josh Emmett.
In his last fight, Yair Rodriguez defeated Brian Ortega in Round 1 after the latter suffered an unfortunate shoulder dislocation soon after the bell. Prior to this win, Rodriguez lost a decision to former champ Max Holloway.
Josh Emmett, on the other hand, has been undefeated since 2018. Ten of his 18 pro fights have lasted until the final bell. In this matchup, we have an unorthodox knockout artist going up against a fighter who thrives in long-drawn wars. The odds suggest that Rodriguez has a better chance of winning, but we believe that it could go either way.
Pick:
Josh Emmett to win by decision.
Odds:
Jack Della Maddalena: -300
Randy Brown: +250
Prediction:
Jack Della Maddalena is an Aussie knockout artist with a 3-0 record in the UFC, who will be looking to cement his standing as a legitimate contender with a strong performance on Saturday night. He’s up against a technical fighter in Randy Brown, who is four inches taller than him. We believe the power disparity between the two and the height difference is the perfect setup for the shorter man to score a knockout.
Pick:
Jack Della Maddalena by TKO
Odds:
Justin Tafa: -135
Parker Porter: +115
Prediction:
Unfortunately for Justin Tafa, he racked up only three losses in his career since joining the UFC. He’s a powerful striker who tends to be overly reliant on his hands to get through fights.
He’s up against the nimble and agile Parker Porter who is a volume striker who lands 6.49 significant strikes per minute, while Tafa has absorbed more strikes than he has landed. Basically, if Tafa doesn’t score the lucky knockout, Porter will likely win by decision.
Pick:
Parker Porter to win by decision
Odds:
Jimmy Crute: -200
Alonzo Meinfield: +170
Prediction:
Jimmy Crute holds a professional record of 12 wins and three losses, with one of those taking place against the current Light Heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill. Since he’s used to facing high-caliber opponents, we believe he will have a relatively easy night against Alonzo Meinfield.
He’s up against the 13-3 striker in Alonzo Meinfield, who has ten wins by knockout. In a classic case of wrestler vs. striker, we anticipate Jimmy The Brute Crute not giving him enough room to set up a big finish.
Pick:
Jimmy Crute to win by submission
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