UFC Vegas 30: Gane vs Volkov Main Card Betting Odds and Picks

op heavyweight contenders Cyril Gane and Alexander Volkov look to move one fight closer to getting a title shot when they meet at the main event of UFC Vegas 30 on Saturday night at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gane is riding high on an unbeaten 8-fight MMA career which includes a 5-0 record inside the UFC Octagon. He will take on the veteran and former Bellator champion Alexander Volkov who has won back-to-back knockouts after losing to Curtis Blaydes last year.

Let’s take a look at Saturday’s main card and make our predictions.

Cyril Gane vs Alexander Volkov

Cyril Gane is a former TKO heavyweight champion and the current no. 3 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. The 31-year old Frenchman is also a former French Muay Thai champion. He joined the UFC in 2019 and is 5-0 inside the Octagon with wins over Junior Dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in his last two bouts

Bon Gamin is 6-4 tall with an 81-inch reach and fights out of the orthodox stance. He is undefeated at 8-0 with three knockouts and three wins via submission.

Alexander Volkov is the no.5 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. The 32-year old Russian is a former Bellator heavyweight champion and M-1 Global heavyweight champion. Drago won his first four UFC bouts before getting knocked out by Derrick Lewis in a fight he was winning. Since then, Volkov is 3-1 and is coming off back-to-back KO wins over Walt Harris and Alistair Overeem.

Volkov has a record of 33-8 with 22 knockouts and three submission wins. He is 6-7 tall with an 80-inch reach and is an orthodox fighter.

Volkov has knockout power and he is capable of keeping his opponent at bay. But despite his lanky frame, he is a plodding heavyweight inside the cage, making him an easy target.

Gane a dangerous striker who has excellent footwork, terrific angles, and is also good in the clinch. A veteran Muay Thai fighter, he is a much faster and quicker fighter than Volkov.

Volkov’s power always gives him a shot here. But given how agile Gane can be, catching him clean would be difficult.

Prediction: Cyril Gane

Tanner Boser vs Ovince Saint Preux

Tanner Boser is a two-time United MMA heavyweight champion who also competed for M-1 Global and King of the Cage. This 29-year old Canadian known as the Bulldozer won three out of his first four UFC bouts but is coming off back-to-back losses to Andrei Arlovski and Ilir Latifi.

Boser has a record of 19-8 with 10 knockouts and two submission wins. He is an orthodox fighter who stands 6-2 tall with a reach of 75 inches.

Ovince Saint Preux is a veteran of Shark Fights, Strikeforce, and XFC. The 38-year old American-Haitian fighter is a former KOTC light heavyweight tournament champion. OSP has fought most of his career at 205 pounds, sharing the record of most fights in the division with Jon Jones and Shogun Rua. Saint Preux has lost four out of his last six bouts.

OSP has a record of 25-15 with 12 knockouts and eight submission wins. He is a southpaw fighter who stands 6-3 tall with an 80-inch reach.

Boser took this fight on short notice. Not only has he not trained for this bout, but he has also been able to do little exercise while quarantining in his apartment. No doubt, he’s risking a lot in taking this fight. But after the loss to Latifi, he wants to get back on track as soon as possible.

Saint Preux’s only other appearance at heavyweight saw him look sluggish, puffy, and lethargic while losing to a 40-year old Ben Rothwell who is slow as a turtle now.

It’s either Boser is crazy for taking this fight or he’s sure enough to beat the naturally smaller Saint Preux. I have faith in Boser taking this fight.

Prediction: Tanner Boser

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Danilo Marques

Kennedy Nzechukwu fought at XKO before he was discovered in the Contender Series in 2018. The 29-year old Nigerian lost his UFC debut to Paul Craig via submission. However, he won his last two bouts against Darko Stosic and Carlos Ulberg.

Nzechukwu has a record of 8-1 with five of those victories coming by way of knockout. The African Savage is 6-5 tall and has a reach of 83 inches and is a southpaw fighter.

Danilo Marques is a veteran of Predator FC and Gladiator Combat Fight. The 35-year old Brazilian is a disciple of Demian Maia who is currently undefeated inside the UFC Octagon after two bouts. Marques submitted Mike Rodriguez in his last bout.

The Brazilian is 6-6 tall with a 77-inch reach and fights out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 11-2 with four knockouts and five submission victories.

Nzechukwu is a much stronger fighter than Marques and he also has more pop in his punches. He also possesses the physical gifts to take away Marques’ usual advantage in range. However, if Marques can take this fight to the ground, there is no doubt that he will find the Nigerian’s neck sooner or later.

However, putting Nzechukwu on his back may be easier said than done. He continues to improve his game, including his grappling and takedown defense. Unless Marques can take him down, Nzechukwu is going to overwhelm Marques on the feet and knock him out.

Prediction: Kennedy Nzechukwu

Andre Fili vs Daniel Pineda

Andre Fili fought for Gladiator Challenge and also made appearances for Tachi Fights Palace before coming over to the UFC way back in 2013. Fili has not found consistent success in the UFC and is just 9-7 inside the UFC octagon.

He is 5-11 tall with a 74-inch reach and fights out of the orthodox stance. The veteran has a record of 21-8 with nine knockouts and three submission wins.

Daniel Pineda is a former Legacy FC featherweight champion and Fury FC lightweight champion. The 35-year old from Dallas, Texas defeated Herbert Burns in his UFC debut but lost to Cub Swanson in his most recent outing.

Pineda has a record of 27-14 with nine knockouts and 18 wins via submission. He is 5-7 tall and has a 69-inch reach while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Pineda fights with a lot of confidence and he attacks with full force from the opening bell until someone goes to sleep. With his style, he is a threat to finish Fili on the feet.

However, Fili looks to be technically better at every aspect of the game. He is taller, rangier, and fights better from a distance. We saw Pineda struggle against the southpaw stance of Swanson. Fili likes to switch to that in-between fights. I like the more skilled fighter to win.

Prediction: Andre Fili

Tim Means vs Nicolas Dalby

Tim Means is a former King of Cage lightweight and junior welterweight champion. The 37-year old from Oklahoma is 4-2 in his last six UFC bouts and is coming off a decision win over Mike Perry in his most recent outing.

Means is 6-2 tall with a 75-inch reach and fights out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 31-12 with 19 knockouts and five submission wins.

Nicolas Dalby is a former interim and full-time welterweight champion at Cage Warriors. The 36-year old from Denmark is undefeated in his last seven bouts with two no-contests. He is coming off a win over Daniel Rodgriguez last November.

Dalby has a record of 19-3 with six knockouts and four submission victories. He is an orthodox fighter who is 5-11 tall with a 74-inch reach.

Dalby is a functional wrestler and his persistence could line him up for a win here if Means’ takedown defense fails him. But Dirty Bird has been able to keep most of his recent fights on the feet and if he can do that as well here, this should be a comfortable win for him.

Outside grinding Means, there’s a little avenue for Dalby to get a victory here. Means is bigger, stronger, more active, and versatile in the stand-up. I think Dirty Bird shuts down Dalby’s wrestling and outpoints him here.

Prediction: Tim Means

Renato Moicano vs Jai Herbert

Renato Moicano is the former Jungle Fight featherweight champion who joined the UFC in 2014. The 32-year old Brazilian started his UFC career with a 5-1 record but is just 1-3 in his last four bouts and is coming off a KO loss against Rafael Fisiev.

Moicano is 5-11 tall with a 72-inch reach and fights out of the orthodox stance. He has a record of 14-4 with seven wins via submission.

Jai Herbert is a former lightweight champion from Cage Warriors. The 33-year old from England won six straight fights overall, including five via knockout before making his UFC debut in July 2020 where he was knocked out by Francisco Trinaldo.

Herbert is 6-1 tall with a reach of 77 inches and is an orthodox fighter. He has a record of 10-2 with eight knockouts and one submission win.

Moicano has world-class experience and has excellent kicking and jabbing skills to counter Herbert’s preference to fight at a close distance. He also has the grappling game to punish Herbert if the fight goes to the ground.

Herbert is primarily a striker and would want to keep this fight on the feet against a BJJ black belt. Even then, there is no guarantee that he will win a striking battle because of Moicano’s kicking game. Herbert makes a mistake, Moicano finds his back. Easy submission here.

Prediction: Renato Moicano

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