St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday which is seems ironically perfect for MMA fans. UFC Fight Night Werdum vs. Volkov is set for that night. London, England’s O2 Arena will host this highly anticipated event. Four main card bouts top the UFC betting odds. Headlining is the heavyweight matchup of Fabrico Werdum against Alexander Volkov. Werdum is a former UFC heavyweight champion. Countering that is Volkov’s past Bellator heavyweight title. As a result of his UFC title credibility Werdum opened as a moderate chalk. Yet Volkov brings live dog ability in his own right.
UFC Fight Night Werdum vs. Volkov
Date and Time: Saturday, March 17, 2018
Location: O2 Arena, London, England
MMA Betting Online Odds: Werdum -200, Volkov +170
UFC TV Coverage: UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night Bouts
Three other bouts are on the main card for UFC Fight Night. Jimi Manuwa meets Jan Blachowicz in a light heavyweight bout. Opening as a -210 chalk is Manuwa with Blachowicz as a +175 dog. Also on the card is a bantamweight match of Tom Duquesnoy vs. Terrion Ware. Welterweight action features Leon Edwards up against Peter Sobotta. Additionally, there are eight preliminary bouts scheduled. UFC Fight Pass covers it all on Saturday.
Fabrico Werdum
Fabrico Werdum has won his last two bouts with the UFC betting odds. Most noteworthy in his career was his heavyweight title from 2014-16. Werdum is coming off a unanimous decision win over Marcin Tybura on November 19, 2017. Prior to that he scored a first round submission win over Walt Harris. While he lost the UFC title belt to Stipe Miocic in 2016 Werdum is earning his way back to another shot. At the age of 40 the Brazilian has a record of 23-7-1. Kings MMA is Werdum’s MMA team out of Los Angeles.
Alexander Volkov
Alexander Volkov has a sportsbook online record of 29-6 with five straight wins. Especially relevant is Volkov’s rebound after two straight losses. Bellator’s heavyweight title belonged to him from 2012-2014. Graduating to UFC in 2016 he is undefeated in three bouts. Aged 29 Volkov hails from Russia and fights for Team Strela. Stefan Struve lost to “Drago” by TKO on September 2, 2017. Previously Roy Nelson lost to Volkov by unanimous decision on April 15, 2017.
Jimi Manuwa
Light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa is 17-3 for his career. However, in his last bout Manuwa lost in a first round knockout to Volkan Oezdemir. Shockingly the match-up lasted on 42 seconds. Two wins for “Poster Boy” came prior to that setback. Hailing from London the 38-year-old is a member of All-Stars Training Center. Jan Blachowicz is 35 years of age and fights out of Poland. Career wise he has a record of 21-7. Blachowicz is riding a two-bout winning streak. Jared Cannonier was his latest victim in a three-round unanimous decision.
Matchup to Watch
All eyes will be on the heavyweight clash between Werdum and Volkov. Championship pedigree and aura will be in the air. With that comes plenty of action with the UFC Betting Odds. Volkov makes for a live dog that will bring bite and value. Opposing the chalk looks like the smart move here.
UFC Fight Night Betting Odds Picks
In conclusion Volkov has got himself back on track and is the pick!
UFC Fight Night Betting Online Pick: Alexander Volkov over Fabricio Werdum
UFC Fight Night Betting Online Prediction: Volkov by decision
Check out the preview of Volkov vs. Werdum!