UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski will get underway Saturday at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. This card features a deep lineup with two title fights set to take place. Let’s take a look at our UFC 284 betting guide, including our top bets and picks for Saturday’s action.
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Saturday’s Best UFC 284 Bets & Picks
Here are our top picks for all the prime fights of UFC 284.
The oddsmakers don't see this being much of a fight, considering they have Makhachev listed as a -380 favorite. Volkanovski comes back at +310 to get his hand raised. In my opinion, this fight is way tighter in terms of skill level. But I have to wonder, what is Volkanovski's route to victory here? Typically, it seems he's content with riding it out five rounds and taking it to the judges' scorecards while occasionally mixing in a knockout here and there. However, he'll be tasked with defending one of the more dominant wrestlers and submission artists for 25 minutes on Saturday night.
Volk's grappling skills have obviously held up throughout his career, but I think Makhachev is on another level in terms of his ground game. He's rag-dolled the whole division en route to capturing the belt.
Personally, I'm a big fan of Volkanovski and wanted to craft an argument for him to become the double champ, but I'm hesitant to say he'll be able to defend against Makhachev's insane grappling for a full 25 minutes. I think the Russian will land several takedowns throughout the fight before ultimately locking in a submission. I'm rolling with Islam Makhachev to defend his Lightweight title and do it via submission.
Pick: Islam Makhachev To Win By Submission (+165 via DraftKings)
Check out our full betting guide and picks for Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski >>
We should expect these two guys to stay in the stand-up for the vast majority of this interim title fight. Both guys are much more comfortable in the striking department than they are in the grappling, and with the nerves of this scrap being the biggest fight of each of their respective careers, we should expect them each to stick to what they are best at.
With these two guys staying in the stand-up, the edge is with Rodriguez as he boasts a five-inch height and one-inch reach advantage. On top of that, he is a more accurate striker while throwing in larger volume, which is good if this fight goes to the scorecards.
Speaking of which, the judges may be needed at the conclusion of this scrap. Through 20 professional fights, Emmett has only been finished inside the distance once.