In a heavyweight bout on the main card, Alexander Volkov takes on Alexandr Romanov Saturday at UFC Fight Night 221 — also known as UFC Vegas 71 — at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC Fight Night 221: Volkov vs. Romanov odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.
The fight is on ESPN+ with the prelims starting at 3 p.m. ET and the main card beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
Volkov has a 5-inch reach advantage and stands 5 inches taller than his counterpart. The Russian fighter holds a 4.88-to-3.78 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, too.
Volkov bounced back from a submission loss to Tom Aspinall on March 19, 2022, with a 1st-round KO/TKO of Jairzinho Rozenstruik last time out in June. He has alternated wins and losses in each of his past 5 bouts and went the distance in 2 of the past 4 contests.
Romanov was on the short end of a majority decision loss to Marcin Tybura at UFC 278 on Aug. 20, 2022, snapping a 5-0 start to his UFC career. He has gone the distance in 2 of his past 4 bouts.
The Moldovan southpaw will be looking to get the fight to the canvas, as he has a solid 5.18 takedown average and 1.15 submission average. Since arriving at the UFC level, he has submitted Chase Sherman, Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Roque Martinez.
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UFC Fight Night 221: Volkov vs. Romanov odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:06 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Volkov +130 (bet $100 to win $130) | Romanov -150 (bet $150 to win $100)
- Over/Under: 1.5 rounds (Over -175 | Under +140)
- Will the fight go the distance? Yes (+175) | No (-270)
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UFC Fight Night 221: Volkov vs. Romanov picks and predictions
Records: Volkov (35-10-0) | Romanov (16-1-0)
Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
ROMANOV (-150) is a decent play as a moderate favorite.
Even with the loss last time out, the Moldovan fighter has easily been the more consistent of this duo. Volkov has been rather erratic lately, getting slept by Aspinall and losing against Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision in June 2021. Romanov will be looking to get this fight to the mat where he can do his magic. He has 3 submission victories in 6 fights since arriving at the UFC level.
Over/Under (O/U)
No (-270): Fight to go the distance is not a good value, costing you more than 2 1/2 times your potential return.
With Romanov’s recent submission history, it’s a good idea to play METHOD OF VICTORY: ROMANOV BY SUBMISSION (+270) for an opportunity to nearly triple your initial wager. Volkov was on the short end of a submission loss last March, and he has 3 losses via submission in his career. That’s the best way to go.
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