Curtis Blaydes vs Alexander Volkov Betting Predictions

The UFC is back at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Blaydes vs Volkov live on ESPN 11 on June 20th with the prelims starting at 5 pm ET and the main card starting at 8 PM ET. The main event is a heavyweight battle between two of the tallest men in the division with Curtis “Razor” Blaydes taking on Alexander “Drago” Volkov. Blaydes is the overwhelming favorite according to bookies and find out why in our Curtis Blaydes vs Alexander Volkov Betting Prediction for UFC on ESPN 11.

888sport have Blaydes as the heavy favorite at -400 while Volkov sits at +400. Fanduel also lists Blaydes as the favorite at -380 with Volkov at +280. It’s pretty clear cut among other bookies I have seen as well. Read more of our Curtis Blaydes vs Alexander Volkov Betting Prediction for UFC on ESPN 11 to find out why.

This main-event should not be missed as it has the potential to end in an explosive fashion. Both fighters hold impressive records in the heavyweight division both inside and outside the UFC.

Blaydes has an 8-2 record in the UFC (13-2 overall) plus a fight that was ruled a no contest due to a positive Marijuana test. Both his losses come from current rising star of the Heavyweight division, Francis Ngannou. Volkov meanwhile boasts a 5-1 record since signing for the UFC (31-7 overall) with his lone loss a come-from behind, last-gasp, 3^rd round knockout in the hands of Derrick Lewis.

In the Heavyweight division, no other active fighter has been able to take their opponent down as much as Curtis Blaydes has, with an incredible 45 takedowns to his name. In second place is Stipe Miocic with a distant 25 takedowns. Volkov can at least take comfort in his takedown defence which leads the division with a 82.8% success rate.

As the bookies have indicated, I believe Blaydes will be too much for Volkov in this fight. Although he has been known for his elite wrestling ever since his UFC debut, what makes Blaydes a scarier proposition now is his much improved striking. This is evident in the fact that he has finished 10 of his 13 fights via strikes.

While Volkov is a very good fighter, at 6’7” much of the reach advantage he usually has over opponents is completely negated by Blaydes who himself is 6’4”. “Drago’ did not look that impressive in his last victory over Greg Hardy who is only an inch taller than Blaydes and had to fight with a broken hand after the first round. Meanwhile despite the Razor’s two losses to Ngannou, he has defeated notable names such as Fabricio Werdum and Junior Dos Santos.

Volkov at this price is a tempting bet, he is no pushover and can give anyone trouble.

But Curtis Blaydes has been on fire and is coming off the back of a three-fight win streak. Another impressive win here and it will start getting hard to ignore him for the number one contender spot. I see Blaydes finishing Volkov with strikes for a KO win in the 2^nd round.