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The UFC has done a good job staking out Saturday night on Super Bowl Weekend. Millions of sports fans are now tuning in to watch MMA prior to Super Bowl Sunday, and the second major PPV event of the year will take place less than 24 hours before the Big Game on Sunday evening. Islam Makhachev will defend his newly won UFC Lightweight Championship against current UFC Featherweight Championship title holder Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 284, and this fight will also pit the top two pound for pound fighters in the promotion against one another. The rest of the card isn’t great to be honest, but the main event has the potential to be the Fight of the Year.
UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski will be held on Sunday, February 12, 2023, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Due to the time difference, we will have our usual start time of 10 p.m. ET for the PPV on Saturday, and the prelims will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET.
UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski Betting Odds at BetRivers Sportsbook
Islam Makhachev -400
Alexander Volkanovski +300
It’s hard to bet against Islam Makhachev against any other lightweight right now. He has recorded five straight finishes, and Makhachev is 23-1 with 15 finishes in his professional career. Makhachev easily dispatched Charles Oliveira last October, so the UFC is hoping that Alexander Volkanovski can give him a challenge.
Volkanovski will have to move up in weight for this fight. He is 25-1 with 15 finishes as a professional fighter, and he has successfully defended the UFC Featherweight Championship four times since defeating Max Holloway at UFC 245. He did fight at lightweight six years ago when he was taking part in regional competitions in Australia, but he hasn’t fought at lightweight since November 2016.
Although Makhachev is a heavy favorite per the UFC betting odds, he is the right choice to win this fight. Makhachev is four inches taller and typically fights at a weight class 15 pounds heavier than his opponent. Additionally, he has a whopping 4.5-inch advantage when it comes to leg reach, so there aren’t many ways for Volkanovski to win this fight.
Yair Rodriguez -180
Josh Emmett +143
Two of the other top featherweights in the UFC will be in action in the co-main event. Yair Rodriguez is currently seen as the second challenger to Volkanovski behind Holloway, and he will look to defend his place in the rankings against Josh Emmett.
This will be the toughest fight yet for Emmett. He has slowly worked his way up the ladder with five straight wins after a 3-2 start to his UFC career, but his last three bouts all went to decision. Additionally, he had to settle for a split decision win over Calvin Kattar last June.
Rodriguez is 3-2-1 in his last six fights, but he is still the oddsmakers’ pick by the MMA betting line. He scored big wins over The Korean Zombie, Jeremy Stephens, and Brian Ortega, but he was knocked out by the legendary Frankie Edgar in one of his blast big fights and fell short against Holloway too. That experience will give him an edge over Emmett, and Rodriguez does have a slight reach advantage with his arms and legs.
Jim Crute -177
Alonzo Menifield +140
Former CFL star Alonzo Menifield came into the UFC with a lot of hype after winning nine straight matches to start his professional MMA career. He finished each of his opponents in the first or second round (almost always by knockout), but he has had a tough time against the top athletes in the promotion.
Menifield has a problem with stamina, and we have seen him really struggle if he can’t finish his opponent in the first round. That has led to losses in three of his last seven fights, and it will give Jim Crute an edge here.
Crute will have the crowd at his back as a native of Australia. He has lost three of his last five fights, but his last two losses came against former title challengers. He has more stamina than Menifield, and that will be the difference.
