UFC 284: Title Fights Preview
UFC 284 will come to you live Saturday night starting at 5pm ct from Perth, Western Australia headlined by Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski challenging Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev. As the legend Mills Lane would say, “Let’s get it on”!
LW Championship: Islam Makhachev (c) vs. Alexander Volkanovski:
After defeating Charles Oliveira for the Lightweight Championship, Makhachev was immediately called out by Featherweight Champion Volkanovski. Volk would be stepping up in weight class to face Makhachev. The Lightweight Championship will be fought at 155 pounds. This will be Makhachev’s first title defense and his opponent couldn’t be any tougher. Volkanovski may only stand 5’6” but he can fight a bear only using a switch. His resume is impressive. He’s defeated legend Jose Aldo, went to war with Max Holloway 3x and defeated Brian Ortega in a blood bath. Now he steps up in weight to face one-loss Islam Makhachev. The Lightweight Champion does not have a resume as impressive as the challenger but will be able to hold his own. Makhachev stands 5’10” with an inch shorter reach than Volkanovski. He was born in Dagestan, Russia so you know he’s an accomplished wrestler. He did submit Charles Oliveira by arm triangle choke, which is no easy accomplishment. I expect this to be an entertaining championship fight. Makhachev is a -400 favorite meaning for every $400 you bet you’d win $100. This is a steep price considering he isn’t fighting Joe Blow Saturday night. He’s fighting accomplished, battle tested Champion Alexander Volkanovski in his back yard with his home crowd behind him. Give me the UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski to take down Makhachev in Australia.
Bet: Alexander Volkanovski +310
Interim FW Champ.: Yair “El Pantera” Rodriguez (#2) vs. Josh Emmett (#5):
Yair Rodriguez will be battling Josh Emmett for the Interim Featherweight Championship. “El Pantera” hails from Parral, Chihuahau, Mexico standing 5’10” with a 71” reach. Of no fault of his own, Yair is coming off a disappointing fight against Brian Ortega. It wasn’t disappointing due to his performance because “El Pantera” earned the victory but it wasn’t the way he would have liked. The official was forced to end the fight less than a minute into the 1st round due to Ortega’s dislocated shoulder. Yair will be looking to show out again but in the other corner, Josh Emmett is no slouch. Emmett at 36 years of age (Yair is 30) has experienced a resurgence. Emmett had been sidelined due to his left eye-socket floor being completely shattered. The left part of his orbital bone was broken, his cheek had caved in and he also had a compressed nerve that controls his left eye's movement. In his fight against Shane Burgos on 6/20/20, Emmett said he tore his ACL less than a minute into the fight and still defeated Burgos via unanimous decision. He now faces Yair Rodriguez in what would be the biggest fights of their careers to date. You already know he’s tough but Emmet can also fight. He’s strong, likes to throw power punches and will take a punch to land a big one. Yair Rodriguez is almost a -200 favorite as he currently sits at -180. I wouldn’t lay that type of juice in a UFC fight where anything can happen. That makes Josh Emmett a +155 favorite. We have to two fighters tougher than a $2 steak so which way do we go? I like Yair’s length because Emmett did struggle some against Calvin Kattar and his 72” reach. Kattar was able to cut open Emmett in the first round with his jab. Yair won’t want this to turn into a boxing match for 5 rounds because Emmett’s may have the advantage with his punching power. I like Yair to used his length to defeat Emmett with his mixed martial arts and if he can land some elbows, kicks that will be the difference. Give me El Pantera via decision. I should note that Josh Emmett looked visibly drained and thin during weigh ins. Keep this in mind.
Bet: Yair Rodriguez by points (decision) +155 via BetOnline
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