Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski Odds
UFC lightweight gold is on the line on Saturday night in Australia as current featherweight champion and No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter Alexander Volkvanovski will look to secure double-champ status when he meets current No. 2 ranked pound-for-pound fighter and lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Saturday’s tilt (10 p.m. ET main card, ESPN+ PPV) is the second bout in UFC history between the promotion’s two top-ranked pound-for-pound male fighters.
Volkanovski, a 34-year-old Austrailian, hopes to win his 13th consecutive UFC bout – and secure a second belt in his backyard – while moving one step closer to the Mount Rushmore of MMA GOATs. Still, he has almost nothing to lose by moving up in weight.
Makhchev, a 31-year-old native of Dagestan – whose level of competition on his current title run has been justifiably criticized – will face the biggest test of his career against one of his shortest opponents. Nevertheless, his run has been nothing short of dominant, and he’s proven himself a worthy successor to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s throne atop the 155-pound division.