UFC 294 comes from Abu Dhabi this Saturday. After the late withdrawal of Charles Oliveira, we are now set for a second showdown between lightweight title holder Islam Makhachev (-265) and Alexander Volkanovski (+225) in the main event. Makhachev defeated Volkanovski in the first fight, and we are going to tell you if the champion will successfully defend his belt again in our latest UFC betting picks.
Charles Oliveria is out of the main event against Makhachev due to a cut sustained in training. As ever, the UFC has no shortage of top-quality candidates ready and waiting to step in, and Alexander Volkanovski has taken the fight at short notice. This gives Volkanovski a great chance to avenge the loss he suffered at the hands of Makhachev at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, last February.
As ever, there are plenty more top fights on the card. And as this is a pay-per-view UFC event, the card is even more stacked than usual. Elsewhere on the card, Kamaru Usman (+230) takes on local fighter Khamzat Chimaev (-360) in a middleweight bout, while Magomed Ankalaev (-360) takes on Johnny Walker (+285) in a light heavyweight contest. Also on the card are Ikram Aliskerov (-435) vs. Warlley Alves (+350) and Said Nurmagomedov (-240) vs. Muin Gafurov (+205).
The latest UFC Vegas betting odds for the main card for Fight Night 230 can be seen below on our UFC betting table. Our odds are from the best sites for MMA betting.
| Main Card |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islam Makhachev | -265 | -265 | -265 |
| Alexander Volkanovski | +225 | +225 | +225 |
| Kamaru Usman | +230 | +230 | +230 |
| Khamzat Chimaev | -360 | -360 | -360 |
| Magomed Ankalaev | -360 | -360 | -360 |
| Johnny Walker | +285 | +285 | +285 |
| Ikram Aliskerov | -435 | -435 | -435 |
| Warlley Alves | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Said Nurmagomedov | -240 | -240 | -240 |
| Muin Gafurov | +205 | +205 | +205 |
Islam Makhachev has a 24-1-0 record in MMA. He won the UFC lightweight belt by submitting this weekend’s planned opponent, Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. The fight on Saturday was a rematch of the original bout, also held at this venue last October.
Since winning the vacant title, Makhachev has successfully defended the title once, which ironically was against this Saturday’s new opponent, Alexander Volkanovski. The current champion won that match-up by unanimous decision at UFC 284.
Alexander Volkanovski is 26-2-0 in MMA and is the current UFC featherweight title holder. He has defended his title five times since winning it from Max Holloway at UFC 245 in December 2019.
To date, his only defeat in the UFC was in the fight with Makhachev, so this unexpected opportunity gives him a second chance at writing himself into the history books. Victory on Saturday for Volkanovski would see him become only the fifth man in the UFC to simultaneously hold two belts in different divisions.
Volkanovski’s most recent win was at UFC 290 in July, where he secured a third-round TKO victory over interim champion Yair Rodriquez to unify the division.
Despite all the terms of the fight being in favor of Islam Makhachev, his odds to win are shorter than the last time the two men met. Back at UFC 284, Makhachev started the fight at -385. This weekend the defending champion is at -265. He’s still heavily odds on with the best UFC betting sites, but not a bigger favorite this time around.
Alexander Volkanovski, despite not fighting at his natural weight, and only taking the fight at just over a week’s notice is +225 to cause an upset and send shockwaves through the mixed martial arts world.
This fight represents another intriguing clash of styles. Islam Makhachev will try to force the fight onto the canvas, using his grappling skills to stifle his opponent and prevent him from landing his big shots.
In the first bout between the two, Makhachev attempted nine takedowns and was successful on four occasions. He also dominated every round with superior control time.
Alexander Volkanovski will attempt to keep the fight vertical. He scored the only knockdown of the first fight, throwing 143 strikes, compared to his opponent’s 95. Crucially, Volkanovski landed less than 50% of his attempted strikes, while his opponent landed 65% of his 95 attempts.
Volkanovski also can’t be as prepared for this fight as he would like to be. He can’t fit a full training camp into just over a week. And although Makhachev will have prepared to face Charles Oliveria rather than Volkanovski, he still has the advantage of a completed training camp behind him.
As a result, we have to go for Islam Makhachev to win the fight for our betting pick. He will be in better shape than his opponent and has better odds than he was the last time the two men fought.
For better value prices, take Makhachev to win by decision. And if you do think that Volkanovski can score an upset, take him to win by KO/TKO or DQ.
See below the best Las Vegas sportsbooks, where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
