UFC 294: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2 odds, picks and predictions

In a 5-round lightweight championship bout in the main event, Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski meet Saturday at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Let's analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's around the UFC 294: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims can be viewed on ESPN+ starting at 10 a.m. ET with the main card following on Pay-Per-View (PPV) at 2 p.m. ET.

Records: Makhachev (24-1-0) | Volkanovski (26-2-0)

Volkanovski moves up once again from the featherweight division to attempt to become a 2-class champion. These 2 fighters met in February, and it was Makhachev posting the unanimous-decision victory at UFC 284 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

In that 1st matchup, Volkanovski recorded a knockdown, and he landed 70 significant strikes to 57 for Makhachev. The current champ, however, posted a control time of 7:37 to just 2:55 for Volkanovski, while the Russian fighter scored 4 takedowns to none for Volkanovski.

Makhachev had 57 significant strikes to 70 for Volkanovski, but the champ was much more surgical, landing 60.0% (57 of 95) of the significant strikes, to just 48.9% (70-of-143).

The win over Volkanovski was Makhachev's last fight. It was his 1st time going the distance after 4 submission victories and a win via KO/TKO.

For Volkanovski, he stepped back down to featherweight on July 8, dropping Yair Rodriguez in the 3rd round via KO/TKO at UFC 290 to retain his strap.

Overall, Volkanovski holds a 6.25-to-2.35 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, while Makhachev lands 71.94% of those strikes to 60.18% for Volkanovski. The southpaw has a 3.24-to-1.86 takedown average advantage over Volkanovski, too, while holding a 1.05-to-0.19 submission average advantage.

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UFC 294: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski odds

FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 6:04 p.m. ET.

UFC 294: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski picks and predictions

Makhachev (-250) won a classic fight against VOLKANOVSKI (+205) in  February, but this time it's the Aussie finding a way to sway the judges in his favor, likely setting up a trilogy fight and a dream matchup sometime in 2024.

Volkanovski gives up 10 pounds, and he was overwhelmed at times against Makhachev in the 1st meeting. However, he did a lot of good things, too, and seemed to get stronger as the fight went along, while making the proper adjustments to just nearly pull off the upset. I think he is able to turn the tables, hang around, and hopefully be a little more accurate with his significant strikes than he was in the first go-around.

OVER 4.5 ROUNDS (-120) is worth a look, as this one should go the distance again. I like Volkanovski to win, and I don't see him getting a finish against the heavier fighter. Instead, he'll need to wow the judges.

In addition, VOLKANOVSKI BY POINTS (+480), for a chance to nearly multiply your initial wager by 5 times, is also worth playing in the "Method of Victory" prop.

Lastly, playing YES (-102): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE is also worth playing at near even-money.

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