One of the biggest events on the 2023 UFC schedule is coming this Saturday at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. The main event bout is a lightweight title fight, which is a rematch between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski.
Makhachev vs. VolkanovskiPicks
UFC 294 Pick: Makhachev to win -250
Read further for a closer look at this exciting rematch, and for the official Makhachev vs Volkanovski prediction ahead of making your betting picks this weekend.
Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski Information
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski
Location of the game: Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Date and Time: Saturday, October 21. 2:00 PM ET main card start
How to Watch: ESPN+ PPV
Last Fight Record
- Makhachev last fought in February at UFC 284, where he beat Volkanovski via unanimous decision.
- Volkanovski is coming off a featherweight title defense over Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290 in July.
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski Betting Analysis
Islam Makhachev
Makhachev is a Dagestani mixed martial artist with a professional record of 24-1 with 15 finishes (four TKO/KO and 11 SUB). His roots in combat sports stem from Combat Sambo, a sport in which he won a World Championship back in 2016 while representing Russia.
Makhachev is listed at 5’10” with a 70” reach while fighting out of the southpaw stance. In the octagon, he averages 2.35 significant strikes landed per minute while only absorbing 1.27 per minute. He is a dominant wrestler, averaging 3.24 takedowns per 15 minutes in the UFC.
Islam Makhachev, grappling skills pic.twitter.com/Wyh8haDQLE
— Marco 🦦⚪️⚫️ (@PwzKB) October 14, 2023
Alexander Volkanovski
Volkanovski is an Australian mixed martial artist with a professional record of 26-2 and is the current UFC featherweight champion. He has 13 TKO/KO victories and three submissions under his belt at the age of 35. His background wasn’t in traditional martial arts, but he was a high-level rugby player, and that’s probably where he gained his athleticism.
The Aussie is listed at only 5’6” but has an incredible 71” reach while fighting out of the orthodox stance. His all-around MMA skill set has led to impressive statistics like landing 6.25 significant strikes per minute and averaging 1.86 takedowns per 15 minutes.
He also properly defended five out of the nine takedown attempts that came his way against Makhachev in their first meeting AND took down Yair Rodriguez seven times in July.
Alexander Volkanovski put Craig Jones in a Boston Crab at #UFC294 open workouts 🤣🦀 pic.twitter.com/lEZfDGKmnB
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) October 18, 2023
Updates
No injuries have been reported to the UFC.
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski Betting Preview
To be able to make the most accurate Makhachev vs Volkanovski prediction possible, there’s a lot of work to do. We need to preview the betting lines to see what picks are the most valuable and break down the tape on both of these guys–especially their first fight.
According to the UFC odds, Makhachev is the betting favorite again, with a moneyline at -250. Volkanovski has a better chance this time around, according to oddsmakers, with a +210 moneyline.
Grappling Guru
After watching the film of their first meeting, it’s a lot clearer now that Makhachev was in control of 90% of that fight. His advantage is that he’s the bigger man, the better grappler, and he can be the relaxed fighter and counterpunch.
Volkanovski has to do so much more to get into striking range of Makhachev and land big shots. He leaves a lot of openings for counters as well. The big overhand/lead hook he throws to jump into range is very dangerous with someone with such sharp striking as Makhachev out of the southpaw stance.
A key factor in this fight that not many people are talking about is the fact that Volkanovski just recovered from elbow surgery not too long ago. Makhachev has devastating arm lock attacks like a kimura and arm bar that Volkanovski will most likely want no part of.
Islam Makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski Betting Prediction
Making UFC predictions is the most difficult thing to do in sports betting. At this level as well, every fight could be looked at as a 50/50 coin flip. Anything can happen once those octagon doors shut. And we don’t even know how healthy these fighters are when they make the walk.
The official Makhachev vs Volkanovski prediction is that Makhachev will win inside the distance. This was a tough prediction to make because Volkanovski is so great. But you just can’t bet against Makhachev if the man standing across from him doesn’t have notable physical advantages over him.
Makhachev has his whole team, peers, and the support from the UAE crowd this time around as well. He is going to look the best he’s ever looked.
- UFC 294 Pick: Makhachev to win -250
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