UFC Vegas 71 Alexander Volkov vs. Alexander Romanov: Odds & Picks (2023)
Before a pair of top five bantamweights go at it in the main event Saturday night at UFC Las Vegas, there’s a heavyweight bout that should be getting more attention than it is. In front of a sold-out crowd at the Virgin Hotel in Las Vegas, let’s take a closer look at the co-main event of the evening featuring Alexander Volkov vs. Alexandr Romanov.
UFC Las Vegas: Alexander Volkov vs. Alexander Romanov
(All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Betting Profile: Alexander Volkov (35-10-0)
Last Five Fights (W-L-W-L-W)
Volkov entered the UFC with a record of 26-6, and in UFC competition, he has compiled a record of nine victories and four losses. He has a record of four wins and two losses in his most recent six bouts. He has defeated Walt Harris via technical knockout, Alistair Overeem via technical knockout, Marcin Tybura via unanimous decision and Jairzinho Rozenstruik via technical knockout.
His losses have come against Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision and Tom Aspinall via straight armbar submission, respectively. Coming into this fight, Volkov holds the edge in significant striking, as well as striking defense and knockdown average.
Betting Profile: Alexander Romanov (16-1-0)
Last Five Fights (L-W-W-W-W)
Romanov entered the UFC with a record of 11-0, and since joining the promotion, he has compiled a record of five victories and one loss. He defeated Roque Martinez with a submission using an arm-triangle choke, Marcos Rogério de Lima with a technical submission, Juan Espino with a technical decision, Jared Vanderaa with a knockout and Chase Sherman with a keylock submission.
His sole loss came against Marcin Tybura with a majority decision. Since he turned pro in 2016, Romanov has won six bouts through knockout or technical knockout and nine via submission. Coming into this one, what he lacks in striking metric advantage, he makes up for on the ground. Against Volkov, he holds big edges on the ground, including submission averages and takedown averages, by 1.0 and 4.59, respectively.
Bottom Line
While Romanov might have the edges on the stats sheet, my edge here comes from the quality of opponents that Volkov has faced. Volkov has fought the very best in a dangerous division at heavyweight, including Curtis Blaydes, Harris, Gane, and Rozenstruik.
Though he’s just 2-2 over those four fights, I expect him to rely on his experience in the octagon against elite-level fighters as this one goes deeper. I love the value of Volkov here as one of my top UFC predictions.
Best Bet: Alexander Volkov (+125 via DraftKings)
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Johnny is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Johnny, check out his free UFC picks newsletter and follow him @JohnnyCovers.