Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski: UFC 284 odds comparison

Earlier this Saturday, UFC officials announced that featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will be going up in weight to challenge Islam Makhachev for his lightweight title at UFC 284. Let's take a look at the opening odds for the event.

Based on the live odds on the DraftKings Sportsbook, the Dagestani has opened as a -305 betting favorite over the +225 underdog Volkanovski. The odds might change as the event draws near.

Image courtesy @sportsbook.draftkings.com

However, based on the current odds, a $1000 wager on the champion will yield users a payout of $1,327.86, while the same bet on 'The Great' can result in a payout of $3,550 if he wins the contest.

The winner of the fight is expected to take over the No.1 position on the UFC's pound-for-pound ladder. Both fighters hold monstrous win streaks in the promotion. Makahchev is currently on an 11-fight win streak, while Volkanovski is on a 12-fight undefeated run in the UFC.

In his last octagon outing, Khabib Nurmagomedov's protege defeated Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 to become the undisputed lightweight champion. Volkanovski, on the other hand, secured his fourth title defense with a convincing victory over Max Holloway in his last fight at UFC 276.

A featherweight clash between No.2-ranked contender Yair Rodriguez and the No. 5-ranked Josh Emmet is also slated to be featured on the card.

UFC 284 pay-per-view is scheduled to be held on February 12, 2023, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

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When Alexander Volkanovski said his fight with Islam Makhachev was going to be a David and Goliath story

In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Alexander Volkanovski boldly claimed that his fight with the Dagestani world champion was going to play out like the David and Goliath story.

Volkanovski has been suggested by many to be too small in stature to fight Makhachev. During the interview, the Australian claimed that he was looking forward to proving the naysayers wrong with a win over the lightweight champion:

"I think I match up well [against Makhachev]... Size-wise and all that, I'm not worried about that. Size is nothing...That's going to be good, that's just going to add to the story... It's going to be a real David and Goliath because now everyone thinks he is the strongest man on the planet, the best grappler anyone has ever seen... So it's just going to look incredible when I get the job done."

Watch Alexander Volkanovski talk about fighting Islam Makhachev below: