Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski have 33 consecutive victories between them, but one of their long winning streaks will come to a halt Saturday when they meet in the main event of UFC 284. Makhachev’s lightweight title is at stake in the five-round showdown, which tops the main UFC 284 fight card (10 p.m. ET) from RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Volkanovski, the featherweight champion, is undefeated in 12 UFC outings and has 22 overall consecutive MMA victories. He is putting those streaks on the line in an attempt to win a second title at the expense of Makhachev, who has won 11 consecutive UFC bouts following a loss in his second appearance with the promotion.
Volkanovski has dominated the featherweights and will be fighting up a weight class on Saturday. He has a tough test as he tries to match up with Makhachev. The lightweight champion is favored, and he should be. Yes, Volkanovski is fighting in his home country, and yes, he is one of the best strikers in the business. Still, Makhachev has ended five fights in a row before the fifth round. He seems to have a deep arsenal of submission moves and can catch fighters in one without warning.
Vithlani is a highly analytical UFC bettor who profited more than $6,200 for $100 bettors in 2022. This includes a documented 24-14 record on his well-respected, two-leg parlays. Every pick was documented on his public Instagram account.
FULL CARD
Main card
Lightweight championship: Islam Makhachev (c) vs Alexander Volkanovski
Interim Featherweight championship: Yair Rodríguez vs Josh Emmett
Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena vs Randy Brown
Heavyweight: Justin Tafa vs Parker Porter
Light Heavyweight: Jimmy Crute vs Alonzo Menifield
Preliminary card
Light Heavyweight: Tyson Pedro vs Modestas Bukauskas
Featherweight: Joshua Culibao vs Melsik Baghdasaryan
Flyweight: Shannon Ross vs Kleydson Rodrigues
Lightweight: Jamie Mullarkey vs Francisco Prado
Early preliminary card
Featherweight: Jack Jenkins vs Don Shainis
Women’s Strawweight: Loma Lookboonmee vs Elise Reed
Featherweight: Shane Young vs Blake Bilder
Lightweight: Zubaira Tukhugov vs Elves Brenner
The UFC 284 fight card then turns to ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET. A light heavyweight contest between Tyson Pedro and Modestas Bukauskas will headline this portion of the event.
From breaking down film and following fighters and their camps closely, to tracking sharp action and betting market signals, Vithlani covers the breadth of the MMA betting landscape top to bottom. He also trains amateur boxers and speaks regularly with MMA fighters to understand the sport’s nuances.
Top UFC 284 picks
We’ll share one of Vithlani’s predictions here: He is backing Alonzo Menifield (+165) to pull the upset of Jimmy Crute (-195) in a matchup of light heavyweight prospects on the main card.
The No. 12-ranked Crute (12-3) is one of several Australian fighters on the UFC 284 card who will get a chance to perform before a raucous home crowd. The versatile 26-year-old was once considered one of the division’s hottest prospects following wins in four of his first five outings with the promotion. But he saw his momentum halted in the form of consecutive losses against upper-tier competition, including a stoppage loss to current champion Jamahal Hill.
Zubaira Tukhugov, another teammate of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, failed to make weight for UFC 284. The 32-year-old made his lightweight debut at 157.5 pounds. It will go on as planned between him and Elvis Brenner. However, as a consequence of not making weight, Tukhugov will forfeit 30% of his fight pay. Although Khabib Nurmagomedov’s squad is known for its systematic approach to combat, Tukhugov has struggled with weight loss in the run-up to UFC 284.
Jenkins will be keen to prove White wrong when he takes on Don Shainis in the final fight of the early preliminary card.
Then it will be time for the preliminary card, which is headlined by Tyson Pedro continuing to build in his return from injury as he takes on Modestas Bukauskas.
The preliminary card gets underway at 12pm AEDT (9am local time and 8pm ET).
As for the main card, it is scheduled to begin at 2pm AEDT (11am local time and 10pm ET) as Jimmy Crute kicks things off against Alonzo Menifield.