After one of the more unexpected and eventful weeks that the UFC has had in a while, the main event of UFC 294 was changed on short notice after Charles Oliveira dropped out due to a cut over his eye in sparring.
Now, the UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will step in on short notice to challenge for the lightweight title for the second time against Islam Makhachev. This is a rematch that every real fight fan was waiting for, but wasn’t expecting it this way.
Let’s take a closer look at this rematch and one of the biggest UFC events of the year to determine the official Makhachev vs. Volkanovski prediction ahead of making betting picks this weekend.
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UFC: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski Betting Trends
- Islam Makhachev is 5-0 in his last five appearances in the UFC octagon.
- Alex Volkanovski is 4-1 in his last five UFC appearances.
- Makhachev has been the betting favorite in every single UFC bout he’s been in.
- Volkanovski has been the betting underdog only twice (both against Makhachev) in the last four years.
- Makhachev has 15 finishes (four TKO/KO and 11 SUB) in his professional MMA career. (25 fights)
- Volkanovski has 16 finishes (13 TKO/KO and three SUB) in his professional MMA career. (28 fights)
How to Bet on Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2
If you are trying to learn how to bet on UFC this weekend, you picked an interesting time to start. The UFC never disappoints with the storylines and intriguing situations for these big events. In this rematch of a recent bout, attention centers on their prior encounter, scrutinizing every detail of their first meeting.
First, we have to preview the betting lines. This time around, Makhachev is a slightly lesser betting favorite. But still has a favorable moneyline at -250 over the +210 Volkanovski. In the first meeting, Makhachev closed as the -355 favorite.
As the weekend’s marquee bout, numerous prop bets and alternative lines offer ample wagering options for avid bettors. The over/under is set at 4.5 rounds, and the fight is actually slightly favored to end inside the distance at -130.
Make sure you take time to look at all the interesting prop bets, and you can decide if there are any that are worth betting on after retaining the information in this Makhachev vs. Volkanovski betting analysis and prediction.
The Rematch Riddle: What’s Next for Volkanovski vs. Makhachev?
Now, we have to analyze the first meeting as a whole. Usually, you would want to look at stats and betting trends, but those don’t really matter since these two fought less than nine months ago.
Many people believed that Volkanovski should have won on the scorecard in that first meeting due to the way he handled it all and since he landed more significant strikes than Makhachev in the 25 minutes. But the truth is that Makhachev controlled that fight pretty clearly for all of the first four rounds.
In the last round, Volkanovski was able to stuff the takedowns of Makhachev and put a lot of pressure on him while landing some heavy shots. The 5th round sequence to end the fight is very interesting because you have to believe that it will impact the game plan of Volkanovski in this rematch.
Makhachev vs. Volkanovski 2 Betting Picks
After breaking down the film of their first meeting in February of this year, it’s clear who the advantage goes to. The question is if either of them will be able to make better adjustments this time around.
UFC predictions at this level are basically all 50/50, no matter what the odds say, because anything can happen once those octagon gates close.
The prediction for this UFC 294 main event is that Makhachev will finish Volkanovski inside of four rounds. Makhachev’s level of confidence, patience, and the support of the UAE crowd is going to be hard for Volkanovski to get through on short notice.
Makhachev has had learning experiences throughout his UFC career, and he’s just on a different level than everyone else. He is going to be calm in the chaos that Volkanovksi will most likely bring on him early.
Volkanovski needs to invest in the leg kicks early and put more pressure on certain situations to shock the world. But with his elbow surgery just being recovered from recently, Makhachev will probably attack that arm and win via kimura.
If you bet at UFC on Bovada, you will get the most valuable line to bet on Makhachev at -240 UFC odds. These lines might even be closer by the time they close on Saturday, so you can wait it out as well.
Top Sportsbooks Odds
BetOnline: Makhachev -250
Bovada: Makhachev -240
MyBookie: Makhachev -263
BetUS: Makhachev -250
BetNow.eu: Makhachev -250
Bonus! Other Fights Worth Placing a Bet On
UFC 294 has a ton of exciting fights that are well worth placing a bet on. Starting in the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev will be taking on former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at middleweight. This is an awesome fight to watch, and the bet to make is for sure the under 2.5 round total.
Going down the main card, there are potentially going to be finishes in every single fight. Ankalaev vs. Walker at light heavyweight is a fight between two massive athletes with one-punch KO power; Said Nurmagomedov is one of the most skilled fighters on the roster, and he’s taking on a veteran of the sport, Warlley Alves.
Also, the exciting prospect Muhammad Mokaev is finally getting his biggest test yet, going up against fan-favorite UFC veteran Tim Elliot to close out the prelims as well. All of these fights are ones that you could bet the under on and have a good chance of winning.
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