This weekend the UFC will head to Perth, Australia for 13 mixed martial arts bouts. Headlining the event will be home favourite Alexander Volkanovski, who is taking on the current UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev.
Volkanovski will have a big task on his hands as he typically fights at featherweight where he holds the UFC Featherweight Championship. Making the step up to lightweight on Saturday night will require all the support possible from his home fans for the Australian as two of the best mixed martial arts fighters clash for the UFC Lightweight Championship.
We preview this fight and break down the best bets to make ahead of the first bell with odds from bookmaker William Hill.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 9th, 9:30 P.M. (GMT)
Looking at the outright winner odds from bookmaker William Hill, it’s clear that Russia’s Islam Makhachev holds the edge in this fight. The 31-year-old leads his opponent in the betting odds by 1.25 to 4.00, representing a fairly significant advantage in favour of the incumbent UFC Lightweight Champion.
Islam Makhachev is in excellent form having just defeated Charles Oliveira in late 2022 to become the UFC Lightweight Champion. Debuting in 2010 as a professional fighter, Makhachev’s only career loss came in 2012 when he lost his second UFC fight to Adriano Martins. The Russian has been undefeated since then building an overall record of 23-1-0.
Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski is also in fantastic form as the reigning UFC Featherweight Champion. The 34-year-old is undefeated across all of his UFC fights with an overall record of 25-1-0 since he debuted in 2012. To find the last time Volkanovski tasted defeat, the clock needs to be rewound a decade to the Aussie’s fourth ever fight where he went down to Corey Nelson. Most recently, Volkanovski defeated Max Holloway by unanimous decision—the third points win he’s gained over the American.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 9th, 9:30 P.M. (GMT)
Despite the strong form of both fighters, we say Makhachev will win this one. The deciding factor will be size with Volkanovski usually fighting as a featherweight rather than a lightweight. Expect Makhachev to take advantage of this by turning this into a grappling match and leveraging his strength and wrestling prowess to extract a submission from his opponent. With odds of 2.25 for a Makhachev submission, this is the best bet to take ahead of this bout.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 9th, 9:30 P.M. (GMT)
Those looking for a little extra return can wager that the Russian will get this done in the first round. Nine times Makhachev has finished an opponent before the second bell rings, including twice in his past three fights at the highest level. With Volkanovski knowing he’s at a disadvantage and needing to force the issue in this fight, there’s every chance that an opportunity could arise early for the Russian, which may allow for him to get a quick submission.
