UFC 266: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega
Ready for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega? Free UFC 266 Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega and betting odds & predictions? Here is a full breakdown of the leadup, what to expect during the fight, and some logical outcomes.
Event: UFC 266 Volkanovski vs. Ortega
Date: September 25th, 2021
Time: Main Card: 7 P.M. PST.
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Alexander Volkanovski -190 vs Brian Ortega +155
I’m not entirely sure that the oddsmakers are giving Volkanovski enough respect here. This might be coming from his having only narrowly edged out Max Holloway in a split-decision victory his last time out. Not to argue “MMA Math” here but Ortega was defeated in lopsided fashion when he fought Holloway at UFC 231 in 2018. Granted, that’s still the only loss in Ortega’s career and he came back to beat the Korean Zombie in convincing fashion his next time out.
MMA Prediction: Volkanovski -190.
Volkanovski feels like a champion who will take awhile to dethrone at 145lbs. He may not have disposed of Holloway in a convincing fashion, but that is a very difficult thing to do. Holloway was a top-tier champion and it takes someone on that same level to take the belt away. I think Volkanoski is on his way to a lengthy run with the title and I like him on the moneyline here.
Valentina Shevchenko -900 vs Lauren Murphy (+550)
There is a reason Shevchenko is a -900 favorite here. The reason is that she is absolutely going to win this fight. Shevchenko is arguably the best pound-for-pound female fighter in the world. Amanda Nunes fans won’t like hearing that, and will point to her 2 victories over Shevchenko as evidence, but that was a very controversial split-decision the last time the two fought. Meanwhile, Lauren Murphy is on a 5-fight win streak after dropping 4 of her first 6 in the UFC.
MMA Prediction Valentina Shevchenko -900
Every fighter has a chance once the octagon door closes. Some of them have better chances than others, however. Absolutely everything would have to go wrong for Shevchenko and everything would have to go right for Murphy for anything other than the expected result to occur here.
Robbie Lawler -125 vs Nick Diaz +105
This is an interesting fight to pick apart. Diaz hasn’t fought since 2015 and there is absolutely no telling what kind of fighter he will be when he gets in there at UFC 266. Both Diaz brothers have had significantly unconventional careers over the last few years. Robbie Lawler is a former champion who has strung together a run of losses dating back almost to when Diaz last fought. It’s not clear what Robbie Lawler we see in the cage here either.
MMA Betting Prediction: Nick Diaz +105
This one is very difficult to call for all the reasons previously mentioned but I think it’s possible too much is being made of Diaz’s time away from the cage. I don’t think the things that made Diaz a great fighter before are the types of things impacted by an extended absence.
Curtis Blaydes -290 vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik +230
The number 4 ranked heavyweight in the world clashes with the #6 ranked heavyweight in the world here. Both of these guys have been knocked out by Francis Ngannou previously and Blaydes has been KO’ed by him twice. Regardless, they will both be fighting here for the opportunity to possibly have that happen to them once again.
MMA Prediction: Jairzinho Rozenstruik +230
Heavyweight underdogs are fun to pick because anything can happen. Blaydes is a guy who was knocked out in his last fight and has been knocked out multiple times in recent years. Rozenstruik is a good finisher and I like his chances here, especially at +230.
Jessica Andrade -230 vs Cynthia Calvillo +195
Andrade comes into this one having dropped 3 of her last 4, which sounds way worse than it is. She has only been defeated by the absolute upper-echelon of the sport. Unfortunately, that means she is not in the upper echelon of the sport any longer.
Betting prediction: Jessica Andrade -230
Andrade should be a larger favorite here. Calvillo is not on her level. Or at least, Calvillo is not on the level Andrade was at before her losses to Shevchenko, Namajunas, and Zhang.