[jwplayer 4MmTjNiy]
Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes square off in a heavyweight bout on the main card at UFC on ESPN 11 – also known as UFC Fight Night 173 – Saturday at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. The prelims kick off at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the main card set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+.
Blaydes (13-2) enters the octagon with a sparkling record, and “Razor” is on a three-bout win streak since being dropped by Francis Ngannou in the headline event Nov. 24, 2018. In fact, Blaydes is 0-2 against Ngannou, but 13-0 with one no contest in his 14 other professional bouts. His last two victories – against Junior Dos Santos in the main event Jan. 25 and against Shamil Abdurakhimov Sept. 7, 2019 at UFC 242 – were Round 2 knockouts. Four of Blaydes’ past five outings have finished inside the distance, including four KO/TKO (3-1) endings. He enters this event leading all active heavyweights with a 53:36 control time and 52.8 control-time percentage. In addition, he leads the class with a 43:03 top-position time, and 42.4 top-position percentage. Blaydes is also tops with 45 takedowns landed and a 55.6 takedown-accuracy percentage, and he knows how to avoid a punch, leading the class with just 1.86 strikes absorbed per minute.
Volkov (31-7) enters this one looking to building upon his unanimous decision victory over Greg Hardy Nov. 9, 2019. Volkov has posted five wins in six fights at the UFC level, including a pair of KO/TKO wins and three unanimous decisions wins. His only setback was at UFC 229 Oct. 6, 2018 when he was decked by Derrick Lewis for the KO/TKO. Volkov’s calling card is his devastating punch, and he is third in the heavyweight division with a 59.8 significant strike-accuracy percentage, while checking in seventh among active heavyweights with 557 significant strikes landed. He also leads the division with an outstanding 6.19 significant strikes landed per minute and a 3.42 striking differential. On the plus side, he is tops in the heavyweight class with a 59.5 significant strike defense, too, and is No. 1 among heavyweights with an 82.8 takedown-defense percentage.
Want to place a bet on UFC Fight Night 173? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!
Alexander Volkov vs. Curtis Blaydes betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday, June 19 at 3:55 a.m. ET.
Blaydes (-400) is quite expensive at this price, so you’ll have to be a little creative. He should be able to push past Volkov (+305) in what is expected to be a brawl. However, Blaydes is more than just a puncher, as he has strong takedown ability and work on the canvas.
Taking KO/TKO/DQ (-313) for the method of victory by either fighter is a bit of an expensive proposition, too. I think the best bet here, and it’s not as costly, is rolling with BLAYDES BY KO/TKO, DQ or SUBMISSION (-200) on the 5-way line. You have a little wiggle room with how Blaydes wins, and the only way you lose is if it goes to the judges, or, of course, Volkov pulls the upset.
As far as length of the fight, the odds are heavily in favor of this bout finishing inside the distance. No (-400) on “Will the fight go the distance?” is also a lot of chalk to eat. I expect this to be a brawl, but I think it goes into the second half of Round 2, at the very least. Therefore, the best bet on bout length is taking OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-176).
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on Blaydes (-400) to win outright on the 2-way line returns just $2.50 in profit. A $10 play on Blaydes (-200) to win by KO/TKO, DQ or Submission on the 5-way line fetches a profit of $5. A $10 wager on the Over 1.5 (-176) rounds nets a profit of $5.68.
To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.
If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter, and follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]