Another great card is on tap in the UFC this coming weekend, as Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov headline the action at UFC APEX in Las Vegas on June 20. Blaydes is a takedown master, while Volkov comes across as a guy who’s not going to make things easy for the “Razor.” View our predictions for all big cards at UFC Fight Night, but first read on for more about this specific bout below.
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Betting Preview for the Curtis Blaydes vs Alexander Volkov Heavyweight Bout at Apex Las Vegas on June 20, 2020
Where: UFC APEX, Las Vegas
When: Saturday, June 20, 2020
Odds: Curtis Blaydes (-300) vs. Alexander Volkov (+220)
TV Broadcast: UFC Fight Pass
Betting on Curtis Blaydes (-300)
MMA Record: 13-2-0
Blaydes is a bad man. A wrestling practitioner, Blaydes is almost automatic when it comes to bringing opponents to the ground. In fact, the 29-year-old pro from Elevation Fight Team has the most takedowns among active UFC fighters with 45. That’s 20 more than what the man next man has, with Stipe Miocic having just 25 takedowns. It’s no surprise that Blaydes has the best takedown accuracy percentage (55.6). Whenever Blaydes takes an opponent down, he makes sure to deal great damage. Also a leader in most position time (43:03 minutes) among active UFC heavyweights, Blaydes lands 47 percent of his strikes when on the canvas. In his most recent fight, Blaydes toyed with former heavyweight king Junior Dos Santos, earning a TKO win in the second round of their fight back in January. Blaydes has won seven of his last eight fights, four of which came via knockouts.
Betting on Alexander Volkov (+220)
MMA Record: 31-7-0
Volkov is not known for his ground game unlike Blaydes, but he’s someone that can be a hard puzzle to solve for grapplers. Volkov is hard to take down. A striker, Volkov does a very good job of avoiding opponents to force him to the mat, as he’s no. 1 among all active UFC heavyweight fighters in takedown defense with an 82.8 percent success rate. Volkov is not only great defending against takedowns but also against strikes. His 59.5 percent significant strikes defense is the best among all active UFC fighters in his division. In addition, he is inside the top 10 in strikes absorbed per minute (2.77). After getting knocked out by Derrick Lewis last October, Volkov regained his steam and confidence with a unanimous decision win over Greg Hardy a month later. Blaydes knows he’ll be dealing with an aggressive and accurate striker in Volkov, who’s averaging 6.19 significant strikes per minute and owns the division’s best striking differential (3.42).
Writer’s Prediction
Blaydes knocks Volkov out in the second round.
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