Another set of Heavyweights are set to clash on the UFC Fight Night Main Card as two of the promotion's veterans step into the cage for a ranked fight. Russia's No. 8 Alexander Volkov will meet against Moldova's No. 14 Alexandr Romanov. Both skilled heavyweights, they'll try to breakthrough their division with a win here. Check out our UFC odds series for our Volkov-Romanov prediction and pick.
Alexander Volkov is 35-10 in his career, including a 9-4 record in the UFC and the 8th ranking for best heavyweight in the world. Volkov has won four of his last six fights and will be coming into this one fresh off a win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in which he scored a RD 2 TKO win. Having only lost to Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane in that stretch, Volkov will look to put away another one of the division's best fighters. Volkov stands 6'7″ and has an 80-inch reach.
Alexandr Romanov is 16-1 in his MMA career and has gone 5-1 in his UFC fights. After tearing through the division for five straight wins, Romanov dropped his most recent fight in a majority decision to Marcin Tybura. Nevertheless, it's the lone loss on his record and doesn't take away from the fact that he's one of the more dangerous contenders at heavyweight. Romanov stands 6'2″ and has a 75-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Odds: Alexander Volkov-Alexandr Romanov Odds
Alexander Volkov: +130
Alexandr Romanov: -160
Over (2.5) rounds: +144
Under (2.5) rounds: -186
How to Watch Alexander Volkov vs. Alexandr Romanov
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET/ 3:00 p.m. PT (Main Card)
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Alexander Volkov Will Win
Alexander Volkov has really shown improvements as a striker at this point of his career and he'll have a slight striking advantage in this one. He's the tallest fighter on the UFC roster and certainly uses his reach to his advantage, which he'll have in this fight. Volkov also has a decent takedown defense at 74%, but was heavily wrestled by Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall. Romanov will most certainly look for a takedown early, so Volkov will have to work hard in sprawling and avoiding the body lock takedowns. In the clinch, Volkov threatens with knees up the middle, which will serve him well as Romanov looks softer around the midsection in this fight.
Volkov can win this fight if he keeps it standing and wears Romanov out. Volkov can perform for three rounds at a decently high rate, so he'll have a huge cardio advantage over Romanov. The longer this fight goes, the more chances Volkov will have to land big punches and wear on Romanov's chin. If we see this fight enter the second or third round, Volkov will be in the better position to win the fight.
Why Alexandr Romanov Will Win
Alexandr Romanov's recipe to success thus far has been simple: crowd the opponent, body lock into a takedown, submit them from mount with a choke. It's worked swimmingly for some of the lower-ranked fighters in the division, but Romanov saw some adversity when his plans didn't work against Marcin Tybura. Romanov quickly gassed out and was not able to have any output in the last two rounds. His cardio will have to have been a major focal point as he moved his camp back to Moldova to train. He'll have a stark advantage on the ground and can lock up a submission quickly if he gets there.
Romanov put on some more mass for this fight and will look like a new fighter. If his game plan stays the same, he should be able to find a takedown with his first few attempts and get this one to the ground. Romanov becomes very heavy when on top and will threaten submissions on Volkov, who's been tapped three times before in his career. Look for Romanov to impose his strength advantage and work hard for these takedowns.
Final Alexander Volkov-Alexandr Romanov Prediction & Pick
The only way Romanov can win this fight is if he goes out there, gets a takedown, and submits Volkov in the first round. Odds makers certainly believe this is the most likely outcome with Romanov as the favorite, but his cardio in the last fight left a lot of questions about his game. Volkov is a tough fighter to put away easily, so look for Romanov to try and land a big shot early before locking up with him. Let's go with the slight underdog here as Volkov shines in the second and third rounds.
Final Alexander Volkov-Alexandr Romanov Prediction & Pick: Alexander Volkov (+130)
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