by Alexander Volkanovski stands on the brink of history, with much in his favor. He is the No. 1 fighter in the world according to the UFC rankings, holds the featherweight championship, has won 22 fights in a row and 25 of 26 overall and is 12-0 in the UFC.
He’ll meet lightweight champion Islam Makhachev on Saturday for the 155lb title and mythical status as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in the main event of UFC 284 in Perth, Australia.
On BetMGM, Makhachev was bet down to a -375 favourite, with Volkanovski a +295 underdog. Makhachev by submission is only +150, a tantalizing number for one of the top submission artists in the UFC.
In terms of importance within the sport, there has never been one greater. Never before has the UFC seen the world’s No. 1 fighter fight the universally recognized No. 2 fighter in a championship bout. And while there have been fights that have garnered far more headlines than this one and sold far more pay-per-views than Saturday’s card, having the two best fighters in the world meet for supremacy in the Octagon is a seminal moment. for sports.
More than 11 years after his MMA debut, Josh Emmett will appear in the co-main event on Saturday when he faces Yair Rodriguez for the interim featherweight championship. For some reason, despite his great success—Emmett is 18-2 overall in MMA and 9-2 in UFC—he hasn’t fought on the main card of a pay-per-view show until now.
Also on the main card, Jack Della Maddalena will face Randy Brown in a welterweight bout. Justin Tafa and Parker Porter meet in a heavyweight bout and light heavyweights Jimmy Crute and Alonzo Menifield open the pay-per-view.
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UFC 284 live scores, highlights, analysis
UFC 284 Main Card, Odds (10pm ET Start Time, ESPN + PPV)
All odds via BetMGM.
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Lightweights: (C) Islam Makhachev (-375) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (+295)
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Featherweights: Yair RodrÃguez (-185) vs. Josh Emmett (+155)
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Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena (-300) vs. Randy Brown (+240)
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Heavyweights: Justin Tafa (-125) vs. Parker Porter (+105)
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Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute (-185) vs. Alonzo Menifield (+155)
UFC 284 Preliminary Card, Odds (Start Time 8 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN+)
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Light Heavyweight: Tyson Pedro (-250) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (+200)
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Featherweights: Joshua Culibao (-115) vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan (-105)
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Catchweight (127 lbs): Shannon Ross (+275) vs. Kleydson Rodrigues (-350)
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Lightweights: Jamie Mullarkey (-275) vs. Francisco Prado (+225)
UFC 284 Preliminary Starting Card, Odds (6 PM ET Start Time, ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass)
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Featherweights: Jack Jenkins (-400) vs. Don Shainis (+310)
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Women’s Strawweight: Loma Lookboonmee (-350) vs. Elise Reed (+275)
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Featherweights: Shane Young (-160) vs. Blake Bilder (+135)
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Catchweight (157.5 lbs): Zubaira Tukhugov (-600) vs. Elves Brenner (+425)
