Makhachev opens as sizable betting favorite over Volkanovski

Islam Makhachev has opened up as a huge betting favorite over Alexander Volkanovski.

The UFC’s new lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, took advantage of his UFC 284 post-fight mic time to call for a match with an equally willing featherweight champion in Alexander Volkanovski — in Australia no less. Guess what we now have? That’s right, betting odds!

Online gambling website Sportsbetting.ag has the UFC’s lightweight champ opening up as a heavy betting favorite over the featherweight champ. Makhachev has been listed with a moderately favored moneyline of -360, and a $100 bet at those odds could possibly see a total payout of $127.78. As for the UFC’s #1 pound-for-pound fighter, Volkanovski is clocking in with a career-high underdog mark of +285. Dropping a bill on the 145-pound king stands to win back $385 altogether.

Both Makhachev and Volkanovski have been shutting out their respective competition, so the skillsets possessed by both are next level. Something to take note of here is how much larger Islam is. When the fighters met face-to-face in that UFC 284 Octagon, you could really see the size discrepancy between the two — and that was with Alexander being three-and-a-half months removed from a weight cut.

Do you think this clash of champions will be closer than the betting odds suggest?

Check out the betting odds for Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski, courtesy of Sportsbetting.ag:

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