Alexander Volkov is favored against Tai Tuivasa at UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland on Sunday, September 10 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia but because of the time difference, it will start on Saturday, September 9 Eastern Time. This event is one of five fights on the main pay-per-view card. Tuivasa is 14-5 in his career, while Volkov is 36-10 in his career. There are a total of 12 fights, with five on Pay-Per-View, four on ESPN/ ESPN+, and three on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass at UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland. Let’s look at the bout between Tuivasa and Volkov and UFC predictions.
UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland takes place at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on Sunday, September 10 but because of the time difference, it will start on Saturday, September 9 Eastern Time with 12 fights, with five on Pay-Per-View, four on ESPN/ ESPN+, and three on ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland Betting
Tai Tuivasa (14-5, 8-5 UFC)
Tuivasa came into the UFC with a record of 6-0 and he has eight wins and five losses in the UFC. In his last six fights, he has four wins and two losses. He defeated Harry Hunsucker by TKO, Greg Hardy by KO, Augusto Sakai by KO, and Derrick Lewis by KO; while losing to Ciryl Gane by KO and Sergei Pavlovich by KO. Tuivasa has been a pro since 2012 and he has 13 wins by TKO/KO and one by decision. He has 11 first round finishes.
Alexander Volkov (36-10, 10-4 UFC)
Volkov came into the UFC with a record of 26-5 and he has 10 wins and four losses in the UFC. In his last six fights, he has four wins and two losses. He defeated Alistair Overeem by TKO, Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision, Jairzinho Rozenstruik by TKO, and Alexander Romanov by TKO; while losing to Ciryl Gane by unanimous decision and Tom Aspinall by straight armbar submission. Volkov has been a pro since 2009 and he has 24 wins by TKO/KO and three by submission. He has 17 first round finishes.
Volkov said this to essentiallysports.com about his upcoming fight against Tuivasa, “Tai is a pretty nice man. As a fighter he is dangerous. He has really hard punches. I have much more against him in the fight. Much more technique, much more everything. I’m looking for an early finish in this fight, maybe first or second round.”
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Tuivasa 4.10 / Volkov 4.89
Striking Accuracy: Tuivasa 49% / Volkov 57%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Tuivasa 4.46 / Volkov 3.00
Defense: Tuivasa 45% / Volkov 53%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Tuivasa 0.00 / Volkov 0.51
Takedown Accuracy: Tuivasa 0% / Volkov 70%
Takedowns defended: Tuivasa 52% / Volkov 73%
Submission average: Tuivasa 0.0/ Volkov 0.1
UFC Picks
Volkov is listed as more than a 2-1 favorite in this fight. The price on this one is a little surprising, as Tuivasa is actually ranked 6th in the UFC heavyweight rankings, while Volkov is ranked 7th. There is definitely a difference in size with these two, as Tuivasa is 6’2” with a 75 inch reach but Volkov is huge at 6’7” and has a reach of 80 inches. It is all about striking for Tuivasa, as he simply isn’t going to take anyone to the mat. Volkov is not much better on the mat, so this one will be decided in terms of striking. Volkov has slightly better overall striking stats, but the edge is not anything great, as he is 4.89 strikes per minute vs. 4.10 and in terms of striking accuracy it is 57% to 49%. Should Volkov really be more than a 2-1 favorite in UFC betting odds? I lean a little bit toward Tuivasa simply because of the price, as this fight looks closer than the current odds indicate.
What we do know is that this fight shouldn’t last long. Oddsmakers realize this as well, as the rounds are listed at just 1.5. Regardless, I still expect a quick knockout, so I will go under the rounds total.
| DATE | FIGHTERS | MONEY LINE |
| 9/10 | Sean Strickland | +431 |
| Israel Adesanya | -650 |
| 9/10 | Tai Tuivasa | +194 |
| Alexander Volkov | -250 |
| 9/10 | Austen Lane | +165 |
| Justin Tafa | -210 |
| 9/10 | Anton Turkalj | -116 |
| Tyson Pedro | -114 |
| 9/10 | Felipe dos Santos | +277 |
| Manel Kape | -375 |
| 9/10 | Da Woon Jung | +201 |
| Carlos Ulberg | -260 |
| 9/10 | Chepe Mariscal | +172 |
| Jack Jenkins | -220 |
| 9/10 | John Makdessi | +207 |
| Jamie Mullarkey | -270 |
| 9/10 | Blood Diamond | +238 |
| Charlie Radtke | -315 |
| 9/10 | Shane Young | -180 |
| Gabriel Miranda | +143 |
| 9/10 | Landon Quinones | +328 |
| Nasrat Haqparast | -460 |
| 9/10 | Kevin Jousset | -155 |
| Kiefer Crosbie | +124 |
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