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UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria continues on the prelims with a fight in the welterweight division between promotional newcomer Oban Elliott and Val Woodburn. Elliott secured his contract with a hard-fought decision victory on Contender Series meanwhile, Woodburn is coming off a loss in his short-notice UFC debut at UFC 290. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Elliott-Woodburn prediction and pick.
Oban Elliott (9-2) secured his UFC contract after a majority decision victory against Kaik Brito. While it wasn't the prettiest performance, his heart and grit won over Dana White and the UFC brass and gave him the chance to prove himself. He now gets to make his UFC debut on one of the biggest PPV events of the year UFC 298 when he takes on Val Woodburn.
Val Woodburn (7-1) had the daunting task of taking on mega prospect Bo Nickal on just five days notice and it didn't go so hot as he was knocked out in just 38 seconds. Woodburn has decided to drop a weight class after being at a size disadvantage throughout his entire career and will make his welterweight debut at UFC 298 against Oban Elliott this Saturday night.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC 298 Odds: Oban Elliott-Val Woodburn Odds
Oban Elliott: -310
Val Woodburn: +260
Over 2.5 rounds: +140
Under 2.5 rounds: -170
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Why Oban Elliott Will Win
Oban Elliott got his chance to fight in the UFC after a hard and gritty performance against Kaik Brito in the Contender Series. He had to fight through adversity in that fight which could help him in a big way in his UFC debut at UFC 298 against Val Woodburn.
Elliott showed in his Contender Series fight that he can mix it up when things get dicey on the feet. He was getting teed off in the second round of his fight but his ability to weather the storm and drag Brito into deep waters ultimately got him the win. That showing bodes well for him in this matchup against yet another explosive striker in Woodburn. Woodburn will be looking to come out in the early going of this fight trying to take Elliott's head off but if Elliott can keep his composure and utilize his grappling he can spoil the welcome party to the welterweight division for Woodburn and score his first UFC victory.
Why Val Woodburn Will Win
Val Woodburn came into his short-notice UFC debut as an undefeated 6-0 prospect. He had the daunting task of going up against one the top prospects in the UFC Bo Nickal and things didn't go his way quickly as he got knocked out in just 38 seconds. Woodburn has now dropped down to welterweight for the first time in his professional career as he takes on fellow UFC debutant Oban Elliott.
Woodburn is very explosive and that power that he possessed at 185 lbs will certainly be there when he drops down to 170 lbs. At the higher weight class, he would get by with his explosions and his athletic abilities now with fighters not having such a massive size advantage over him his explosiveness and athleticism will be more profound. He will go against yet another tall opponent and he will need to utilize his speed to get on the inside of the height discrepancy and land his powerful strikes. As long as Woodburn can keep this fight on the feet and from off the mat he has the possibility of giving Elliott his third knockout loss of the year.
Final Oban Elliott-Val Woodburn Prediction & Pick
This is a great scrap in the welterweight division when Oban Elliott and Val Woodburn square off on the prelims. Elliott showed a ton of heart and grit in his Contender Series performance the way he weathered the barrage of strikes in that second round while being tired to drown Brito with his pace in the third and final round to get the nod on the judge's scorecards.
As for Woodburn, at any given point in this fight, he can land one flush shot and take Elliott out of there. Out of his six professional victories, five of them have come by knockout and that is certainly what Woodburn will be going for to get the job done to secure his first UFC victory. Ultimately, Woodburn will be coming out of the gate hot looking to end Elliott early but it will be Elliott who will yet again weather the early storm and drag Woodburn into deep waters, something he has yet to do in his brand-new weight class, and possibly get the submission victory or the nod on the judge's scorecards.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Oban Elliott-Val Woodburn Prediction & Pick: Oban Elliott (-310), Under 2.5 Rounds (-170)
