UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs Blaydes Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

Heavyweight contenders Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes square off in the main event of UFC on ESPN 11 which will be held at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 20, 2020. The event was initially booked for Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Canada but it was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Former Bellator heavyweight champion Volkov is trying to build momentum again after his four-bout win streak was halted by Derrick Lewis. Volkov bounced back to beat Greg Hardy in his last outing. On the other hand, Blaydes’ rise to the top was stopped when he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou in 45 seconds. Razor has picked up three straight wins since then and he is coming off a knockout win over Junior Dos Santos.

Alexander Volkov vs Curtis Blaydes

Alexander Volkov is a former M-1 Global and Bellator heavyweight champion who also won the Bellator Season 7 and 10 heavyweight tournaments. Drago joined the UFC in 2016 and he picked up four straight wins before suffering a knockout loss to Derrick Lewis. Volkov bounced back with a win over Greg Hardy last November. The 31-year old Russian stands 6-7 tall and has a reach of 81 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance. Volkov has a record of 31-7 with 20 knockouts and three wins via submission.

Curtis Blaydes is the #3 ranked heavyweight in the UFC today. The 29-year old American fought for XFO and RFA before joining the UFC in 2016. After winning only one of his first three UFC bouts, Blaydes has won seven out of his last eight bouts including four by knockout. Blades is 6-4 tall with a reach of 80 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance. His record is 13-2 with 10 knockouts. Blaydes is coming off a 2nd round knockout win over former champion Junior Dos Santos last January.

Volkov comes at a very tantalizing price here and I will admit that I was tempted to pick him. Drago is a tough fighter who has shown that he can take punches and still keep coming. However, I think that Curtis Blaydes is a man on a mission. Razor is perhaps the most well-rounded heavyweight contender right now. Not only does he have very powerful fists but he is like a bear when he pins his opponents to the ground. I think Blaydes is a bit expensive but I won’t bet against him based on his current form.

Prediction: Curtis Blaydes (-405)

Josh Emmett vs Shane Burgos

Josh Emmett is the 9th ranked featherweight contender in the UFC. The 35-year old is a former West Coast Fighting Championship lightweight champion who also fought for KOTC. Emmett joined the UFC in 2016 and has compiled a 6-2 record inside the octagon. The orthodox fighter stands 5-6 tall with a reach of 70 inches. He has a record of 15-2 with six knockouts and two wins via submission. Emmett is coming off back to back knockout wins over Michael Johnson and Mirsad Bektic.

Shane Burgos is a veteran of CFFC who also fought for Ring of Combat. The 10th ranked featherweight in the UFC went unbeaten in the CFFC right before he joined the UFC in 2016. Burgos is 6-1 inside the octagon and heads to this match with a three-fight winning streak. Burgos stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 75 inches and is an orthodox fighter. His record is 13-1 with five knockouts and five wins via submission.

Emmett has good power in his hands and he has displayed that with knockout wins in his last three fights. However, he does not push the pace and moves forward. Rather, he waits for his opponent to make a mistake and hammers them with heavy counter punches. On the other hand, Burgos loves to get into a brawl. He is willing to stand in the pocket and trade punches with his opponents. He’s landed at least 100 significant strikes in three out of his last five bouts. Because of his high work rate, opponents are usually unable to keep up with him. I think Burgos’ volume will be too much for Emmett.

Prediction: Shane Burgos (-135)

Raquel Pennington vs Marion Reneau

Raquel Pennington is the former Destiny MMA bantamweight champion who also fought for Invicta FC before coming over to the UFC. Pennington appeared at The Ultimate Fighter 18 tournament where she lost to Jessica Rakoczy in the final episode of the series. She challenged Amanda Nunes for the UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 224 but lost by TKO. She has a record of 10-8 with one knockout and three submission wins. She is 5-7 tall with a reach of 67 inches while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Marion Renau is the 10th ranked bantamweight in the promotion. The 42-year old veteran competed for Tachi Palace Fights and RFA before heading to the UFC in 2015. She won five out of her first eight UFC bouts but heads to this fight with a two-fight losing streak. Renau stands 5-6 tall and has a reach of 68 inches while fighting as an orthodox fighter. She has a record of 9-5 with five knockouts and three wins via submission. This is Renau’s first bout since March 2019.

Pennington is primarily a striker who likes to back her opponents to the fence where she can launch a flurry of punches or go for the takedown. Meanwhile, Reneau is an aggressive fighter who likes to take the center of the octagon and paw away at her opponents or lure then to a brawl. She has been taken down at least once in each of her last eight bouts and that could be an issue here. I think that Reneau’s age and Pennington’s cardio are the main factors in this bout. Pennington should push the pace here and make Reneau uncomfortable throughout the fight.

Prediction: Raquel Pennington (-156)

Lyman Good vs Belal Muhammad

Lyman Good is was the inaugural Bellator welterweight champion and Bellator Season 1 Tournament winner. Good is also a former CFFC welterweight champion who relinquished his belt to join the UFC in 2015. He has alternated wins and losses in five UFC bouts and has an overall record of 21-5 with 11 knockouts and three submission victories. Good stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 74 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Belal Muhamad is the former Titan FC welterweight champion who also fought for Bellator. The 31-year old has lost just once in his last seven bouts and has an overall record of 16-3 with four knockouts and one win via submission. Muhamad is 5-11 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter. In his last bout, Muhamad submitted Takashi Sato at UFC 242.

Muhamad’s striking continues to improve but he is still mostly a grappler who has landed at least one takedown in eight out of his last 10 bouts and averages 2.15 takedowns per 15 minutes. When he is on his feet, Muhamad has a stiff jab that sets up his big punches but he sometimes drops his hands low, leaving himself open for the quick straight right hand. Lyman has powerful punches and has a very effective kicking game. He has never been knocked out before but he usually loses steam after the first round. Good is good in stuffing takedowns and all he needs is one big punch to catch Muhamad’s attention. Give me Good here.

Prediction: Lyman Good (-101)

Jim Miller vs Roosevelt Roberts

Jim Miller is the younger brother of former UFC fighter Dan Miller. The 36-year old holds the UFC record for most wins in the lightweight division with 19. This former Cage Fury Fighting Championship lightweight champion and US Kickboxing Association champion has been fighting in the UFC since 2008. Miller has a record of 31-14 with four knockouts and 17 submission wins. He stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 71 inches and is a southpaw.

Roosevelt Roberts is a former CXF lightweight champion who also fought for Bellator before joining the UFC. The 26-year old is an alumnus of Dana White’s Contender Series. He is 4-1 inside the UFC octagon and heads to this bout with back to back wins over Alexander Yakovlev and Brok Weaver. He is 10-1 with 3 knockouts and 5 submission wins. Roberts is 6-2 with a reach of 73 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Miller is a tough and hard-nosed competitor who doesn’t back down from any fight. He has a very powerful overhand left which he hides well in his combinations. But Miller does his best work on the mat where he averages 1.69 takedowns per 15 minutes. Roberts likes to pick his opponents apart with his striking. He has long, straight punches and crisp kicks which complement his quickness which enables him to evade damage. Miller is a live underdog here because of his toughness and experience but I think Roberts is going to be a special fighter.

Prediction: Roosevelt Roberts (-221)

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