Tai Tuivasa vs Alexander Volkov Pick, 9/9/2023 Predictions UFC 293 Odds

Tai Tuivasa vs Alexander Volkov

UFC 293

Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia

Saturday, September 9, 2023

Tai Tuivasa will enter the Octagon against Alexander Volkov at UFC 293 on Saturday, September 9, 2023. The opening line has Tuivasa coming in at +205 while Volkov is at -250.

Tai "Bam Bam" Tuivasa will be looking to add a victory to his record of 15-5-0. The 30-year-old will fight at 264 lbs and measures 6'2". The southpaw fighter stretches 75". Alexander "Drago" Volkov stands 6'7" and is fighting at 250 lbs. The orthodox fighter walks into the Octagon holding a mark of 36-10-0. The 34-year-old stretches 80". In terms of significant strikes, Tai Tuivasa is landing 4.10 per min and Alexander Volkov lands 4.89 significant strikes per min. Tuivasa connects on 49% of the significant strikes he throws while Volkov lands 57%. When it comes to defending in the cage, "Bam Bam" allows 4.46 significant strikes per min while "Drago" allows 3.00. Tuivasa also stops 45% of the significant strikes his opponents throw his way while Volkov defends against 53% of the strikes thrown in his direction.

In terms of wrestling, Tai Tuivasa is not as efficient of a wrestler as he is able to score a takedown 0.30 times per 3 rounds. Tuivasa is taking his opponents to the canvas on 15% of his attempts and stuffing 52% of the takedowns his opponents try. Volkov is taking his opponents to the mat on 70% of his takedown attempts and stuffing 73% of the attempts against him. Regarding subbing the opposition, Tuivasa is the more able fighter by attempting 0.6 submissions per 3 rounds while Volkov attempts 0.1 submissions per 15 min.

The last time he stepped into the Octagon, Tai Tuivasa went up against Sergei Pavlovich and wound up walking away in defeat by a punch to the head in round 1. Pavlovich landed 23 of 44 total strikes that he let go in that contest. Tuivasa walked away from this fight having landed 2 of 10 total strikes. In regard to significant strikes, Pavlovich ended up landing 23 of 44, which gave him a percentage of 52%. He finished the fight landing 23 of 43 significant strikes to the head. On the other side of the Octagon, Tuivasa landed 20% of his significant strikes by connecting on 2 of 10. In terms of accuracy for the significant strikes, he connected on 2 of 9 aimed at the head. 69% of the significant strikes landed by Pavlovich and 100% of them connected on by Tuivasa were tallied at distance.

In the last fight for Alexander Volkov, he fought Alexandr Romanov and took home the win by a punch to the head while on the ground in round 1. Romanov ended up landing 0% of the significant strikes he took from distance while Volkov ended up landing 33% of his significant strikes at distance. Volkov ended up landing 80% of his significant strikes attempted by landing 12 of 15. He landed 8 of 11 significant strikes aimed at the head. Romanov landed 0 of 1 significant strikes in that contest. In regard to the placement of these significant strikes, he ended up connecting on 0 of 1 to the head. In relation to total strikes that he let go in that fight, Romanov connected on 0 of 1 and Volkov landed 27 of 35 total strikes.

Other fights on the card to watch out for

Another fight to keep an eye on is when Justin Tafa faces off against Austen Lane. Tafa steps into the cage with a mark of 6-3-0 (1 NC). The 29-year-old tips the scales at 264 lbs and comes in at 6'0". The southpaw fighter reaches 74". Lane comes in at 6'6" and weighs in at 245 lbs. The orthodox fighter steps into the Octagon holding a record of 12-3-0 (1 NC). The 35-year-old extends his reach 80". In terms of takedowns, Justin Tafa takes his opponents down 0.80 times per 3 rds while Austen Lane takes his opponents to the mat 0.40 times per 3 rds. In the striking category, Tafa connects for an average of 5.02 strikes per min and connecting on 54% of the strikes that he attempts. The other fighter in this bout is Austen Lane, who is landing 46% of the strikes he attempts and is connecting on 4.33 per minute.

Another must see fight on the night is when Anton Turkalj is set to square up with Tyson Pedro. Pedro looks to add a victory to his record of 9-4-0. The 31-year-old steps on the scale at 205 lbs and stands in at 6'3". The orthodox fighter reaches 79". Turkalj comes in at 6'4" and steps on the scale at 205 lbs. The orthodox fighter will be looking to add a victory to his record of 8-2-0. The 27-year-old has a reach of 78". Regarding takedowns, Tyson Pedro is able to curb 52% of his opponents' takedown attempts and is taking his opponents to the canvas on 36% of the times he tries. Turkalj is finishing his takedown tries on 51% of the attempts he tries and deflects 16% of the takedowns his opponents try. With regard to striking, Pedro is taking 2.49 strikes per minute while he dishes out 2.96 per minute. Turkalj, on the other hand, is absorbing 2.18 strikes per min and is dealing 1.60 per min.

Who will win tonight's UFC match against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Alexander Volkov (-250)

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