"Volk is out of his league here" – Fans react to Islam Makhachev opening as huge betting favorite against Alexander Volkanovski for UFC 284 title clash
Islam Makhachev has emerged as a huge favorite in his upcoming superfight with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284.
According to Betonline, Makhachev is a -355 favorite, whereas Volkanovski plays the role of an underdog with +280 against his name.
Here are the odds for Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski:
Islam Makhachev -355 (20/71)
Alexander Volkanovski +280 (14/5)
(odds via @betonline_ag) 🏆 🏆 #UFC284 https://t.co/yozFGldvF6
MMA fans have also shared their thoughts on the betting odds on Twitter. Some seemed to agree with the betting odds, saying the Dagestani had a better chance of winning the encounter:
"Volk is out of his league here. Makhachev is a different animal than anything Volk has fought."
@SandhuMMA @betonline_ag Volk is out of his league here. Makhachev is a different animal than anything Volk has fought
One user said that the betting odds would tilt even more in the Dagestani's favor if he manages to get past Volkanovski.
@SandhuMMA @betonline_ag After he beats Volk he’s going to be a -500 favourite against everyone hahaha
Another claimed that even if Makhachev moved up a division to fight the welterweight champion, he would still be the favorite.
@Menacee0 @SandhuMMA @betonline_ag The guy would be a favorite against the 170 champ too, let him defend against a ftw makes no sense
One person opined that the odds were disrespectful towards 'The Great', who currently sits at the top of the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
@SandhuMMA @betonline_ag Hugely disrespectful to Volk
According to one user, the odds could go up to -800 in favor of Makhachev on Fight Night.
@SandhuMMA @MMAHistoryToday @betonline_ag that will be -800 + by fight time, or atleast it should be😂
A few more tweets on the betting odds of Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski can be seen below:
@SandhuMMA @MMAHistoryToday @betonline_ag Islam's gonna outwrestle/manhandle and ultimately submit Volk in the end
@SandhuMMA @betonline_ag Damn lol I thought Volk would get more respect because of his P4P status even if it's a bad fight for him
Volk being +280 is very disrespectful and a slight over reaction. Fully okay with him being a dog but not like this. twitter.com/sandhumma/stat…
Volk really doesn’t back down from challenges. Too bad he’ll get mauled for it :/ twitter.com/sandhumma/stat…
These are the best odds we'll get for someone against Islam for a long time twitter.com/SandhuMMA/stat…
Alexander Volkanovski does not mind being the underdog in his fight against Islam Makhachev
Alexander Volkanovski is embracing the 'underdog' tag in the lead-up to his fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284.
In a recent interview with Laura Sanko, 'The Great' said that he wanted people to doubt him so that he could prove them wrong:
"I'm hoping people doubt me. 'Cause I love being the underdog. I'm sure I'm gonna be the underdog. Well, again, I hope. I can't wait to go out there and prove people wrong. 'Cause that just really fires me up."
You can watch the interview below:
The size disparity between Makhachev and Volkanovski and the Dagetani's recent crowning as lightweight champion may have played a significant part in determining the betting odds.
Both fighters are on amazing runs in the UFC right now. Makhachev is riding an 11-fight win streak that includes victories over Charles Oliveira, Dan Hooker, Thiago Moises, Bobby Green, Drew Dober and Arman Tsarukyan.
Alexander Volkanovski, on the other hand, has won his last 22 encounters.
In the UFC, 'The Great' is 12-0 with wins over fighters like Max Holloway, Chan Sung Jung, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes and Brian Ortega.
The two spectacular win streaks, along with their current ranking on the pound-for-pound list (Volkanovski #1, Makhacehv #3), makes the fight a highly exciting affair for the fans.
Interestingly, pound-for-pound No.2-ranked Israel Adesanya lost his championship to Alex Pereira at UFC 281. The rankings will shift, and Islam will climb. So, we'd have a clash between the two best fighters in the world at UFC 284.