UFC 273 Betting Preview

The UFC returns to Florida this Saturday for UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie. A whole lot is at stake at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena thanks to a packed fight card that includes three reigning champions and a former champion, all vying to claim their rightful place.

With the anticipation swelling like a freshly-punched cheek, the Bodog sportsbook is reporting from the field with fresh insights and fresh UFC 273 betting odds to see which of the fighters will reign victorious in their bouts.

Here’s the lowdown.

Main Event: Alexander Volkanovski (-800) vs. Chan-Sung Jung (+500)

Alexander Volkanovski, the current UFC Featherweight Champion, will take on “The Korean Zombie”, Chan-Sung Jung. Volkanovski first won the featherweight title at 2019’s UFC 245 when he beat Max Holloway by unanimous decision and, after a controversial split-decision rematch just seven months later in UFC 251,

That was all set to be relitigated at UFC 272, but an untimely aggravated injury saw Holloway withdrawing at the eleventh hour, leaving Volkanovski to retain his champion status unchallenged. Until now.

Volkanovski is the clear favourite going into UFC 273, with odds of -800 next to Chan-Sung’s +500. This is despite the fact that the Australian fighter is shorter, lighter, and has less reach in both legs and arms.

But what Volkanovski lacks in physical stature he makes up for in technique; and for Chan-Sung, who has lost considerably more fights, landed fewer significant strikes, and demonstrates a marginally weaker defence, his opponent’s technique demands more from his own. And with a considerably shorter average fight time, the Korean contender will want to put everything into those first 12 minutes, otherwise Volkanovski will leverage his stamina and have it in the bag.

Co-Main Event: Aljamain Sterling (+350) vs. Petr Yan (-500)

To co-main event of UFC 273 is the bantamweight title bout between the reigning champion, Aljamain “Funk Master” Sterling, and interim champ, Petr “No Mercy” Yan. Is it just us, or are the nicknames getting more creative?

Now, these two have history. Back in March 2021, the pair competed for UFC 259’s Bantamweight Championship. Yan was disqualified after pulling out an intentional illegal move in the fourth round, making Sterling the first fighter in the UFC’s history to win a title by default. It doesn’t take much psychological insight to conclude that this bout is about something more than a title – both parties having something to prove.

On paper, Sterling and Yan are nearly physically identical; they match up on height and weight, though Sterling has a slightly longer reach. But Yan is more aggressive than his American rival, gaining almost half of his victories by knockout, next to Sterling’s 11%. The Russian both lands and absorbs more brutal strikes, meaning he can generally last longer in the Octagon.

It’s unsurprising that Yan is the clear favourite, with Bodog UFC betting odds at -500, while Sterling has +350.

Gilbert Burns (+425) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (-700)

Also on the main fight card is a welterweight bout between Gilbert “Durinho” Burns and Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev. Burns is currently ranked No. 2, with plenty of experience contributing to his position, while his Czech competitor sits at No. 11.

Despite that, Chimaev has much stronger UFC betting odds than Burns, at -700 and +425 respectively. There’s good reason for that; Chimaev is considerably taller at 6’ 2” than Burns at 5’ 10”, and has the advantage of a much longer reach. He’s also never lost a fight in the UFC, while the Brazilian has lost four.

Chimaev is a brutal opponent to go up against, landing an average of 8.68 significant strikes per minute – nearly three times as many as Burns. He’s also a brilliant blocker, absorbing just 0.08, one of the lowest records in the entire UFC. He’s twice as accurate with his takedowns and averages more than double his opponent per minute.

The Czech fighter has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by either knockout or submission, and he doesn’t waste time getting the job done. With an average fight time of just three minutes and 14 seconds, for Burns, this means he needs to wear his opponent out through sheer stamina if he wants a good shot at victory, but doing so means enduring a lot of pain.

Mackenzie Dern (-121) vs. Tecia Torres (-103)

One of three women’s fights scheduled for UFC 273 will see Mackenzie Dern face a formidable Tecia Torres in a strawweight bout that’s expected to be incredibly close. Both Americans are statistically well matched in most areas, though Dern is slightly taller.

Her last fight at UFC Fight Night 194 resulted in her defeat against Marina Rodriguez in a unanimous decision, while Torres is coming off a three-fight winning streak having last competed at UFC 265 against Angela Hill.

Of the two, Torres manages around 30% more significant strikes per minute while also absorbing fewer from her opponents. She also manages to defend well against takedowns, which could mean we see few in this fight.

Both have decent stamina, though Torres has a slightly higher average fight time and has managed 85% of her wins by decision.

It’s hard to know which way this will go, which could make it one of the closest UFC betting opportunities of the night.

Aleksei Oleinik (-105) vs. Jared Vanderaa (-115)

The final fight on the main card is also expected to be a close one. Aleksei “The Boa Constrictor” Oleinik and Jared “The Mountain” Vanderaa will face off in the first heavyweight bout of the night.

These two bruisers will be an interesting pairing: a seasoned fighter with over 75 bouts behind him facing off against a younger, taller, and heavier opponent who looks technically stronger on paper.

Vanderaa has won 12 of his 19 previous fights, the majority of which have been by knockout. However, he lost against Alexander Romanov back in October at UFC Fight Night 194, and again to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 271 in mid-February.

His Russian opponent hasn’t fared much better, having lost three fights on the trot and six of his last 10, but both bring with them a fire in the belly, so, this Saturday, we can hope to see a relentless effort from each of them.

 

With so many top fighters scheduled to compete, and so much personal history to add dimension to the fights, UFC 273 is going to be riveting. Bodog Casino is already in the octagon with the best odds for UFC 273 betting, and it’s one you won’t want to miss, with your eyes or with your wallet.