UFC 273: Volkanovski vs The Korean Zombie Betting Preview & Best Bets

We return from a week off with the highly-anticipated UFC 273 event featuring two Championship fights, multiple title contenders, and a ton of fighters looking to build momentum. Last time we were in Jacksonville, Florida we saw a championship belt change hands and Kamaru Usman put Jorge Masvidal to sleep in front of his home crowd. I expect just as much excitement Saturday night and I'm here to help you turn the action into cash.

UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie Best Bets

Alexander Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie — Fight To Go The Distance: Yes (-135, FanDuel)

Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski comes in with a 23-1 record and it doesn't get as tough as him. He stood toe-to-toe with Max Holloway for 10 total rounds and although Holloway probably won the second fight, it takes an elite level of striking and conditioning to complete that task. Volkanovski's last title defense against Brian Ortega was the fight that sold me on him. With one of the most dangerous submission games in all of MMA, Ortega had Volkanovski in chokes deep enough to end almost anyone's night. Volkanovski remained calm and collected and worked his way out of the grip each time and got to work. He's proven his abilities versus every styled fighter while emerging victorious.

Jung Chan-sung, or the Korean Zombie as he's better known, has many skills but what always sticks out is his durability. At the age of 35, he has no problem going blow for blow with anyone and you better believe he will not go down and he will not stop pressing forward. It's possible his wrestling has improved since working with Henry Cejudo but this fight should be on the feet for the majority, if not the entirety of the fight. This is likely his last shot at a title and that just gets you to flip on the all-or-nothing switch come fight time. Volkanovski will try to spread out his volume and attack the legs specifically in an attempt to slow down The Korean Zombie. Will it work? I don't think so and he will just have to sit there and trade in and out with him all night. Durability, volume, high stakes. I find the betting money line to be far too high and while I believe Volkanovski retains the title, I think we get a tight decision here.

Risk: 1.35 units on FanDuel to win 1 unit.

Aljamain Sterling (+360, FanDuel) Over Petr Yan

I won't shy away from the difficult fights and this one is a puzzle piece I'm not sure many have taken the time to understand. In their first fight for the Bantamweight Championship, Aljamain Sterling had a very questionable strategy of emptying his entire gas tank in an attempt to catch Petr Yan off guard and possibly get rid of him early. Well, that didn't work out. Instead, Yan knocked down the drained Sterling at the end of the first round and had absolutely nothing left for the second and beyond... and then Yan kneed Sterling in the head while he was grounded, resulting in a disqualification. He knew his knee was on the ground and the ref even said he was down before the head strike. This isn't the first time Yan got dirty and it cost him the championship.

Petr Yan is considered a slow starter but it's due to his style of striking. He takes time to analyze his opponent, first figuring out their patterns and then taking advantage of the openings he finds. With his level of striking, once he finds the windows of opportunities, he will create tons of damage quickly and put on a relentless pace once he sees you're hurt.

It's very clear what Sterling's path to victory is, and that's his grappling mixed with adjustments from the first fight. We know if Sterling can get Yan on the ground, it's an entirely different fight. A high-level black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he can drown Yan with his wrestling and grappling skills while Yan is still planning his attack and thus stealing the first round or two. Slowing it down, controlling his conditioning, and bringing Yan to new waters is something that highly favors Sterling. I picked Sterling in the first fight and got bailed out. I don't think I'll need to be this time. And still...

Risk: .5 units on FanDuel to win 1.8 units.

Mackenzie Dern (-115, DraftKings) Over Tecia Torres

What more can I say about Mackenzie Dern? She was born into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and maybe has the best grappling skills in women's UFC history. The only issue with Dern has been her ability to get fights to the ground whenever she wants. Opponents go to great lengths to avoid being grabbed by her but Dern has struggled with her wrestling and how to approach her opponents to bring them down at will. She's admitted to it, has worked on it, and if it can come to life in the cage nothing is stopping her.

Tecia Torres has had a fine UFC career, beating plenty of contenders but falling short versus the best of the best such as Marina Rodriguez and Zhang Weili. She can put together solid combos and volume to keep Dern away and rack up some points but the size advantage may be all Dern needs. Torres stands three inches shorter than Dern and also gives up three inches in reach. Dern will be the bigger fighter in the cage and that could prove more than enough to keep the fight on the ground where Dern will look to work and ultimately finish the fight.

Risk: 1.15 units on DraftKings to win 1 unit.

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