UFC 294 Best Bets: Lines, Fighters To Watch In Return To Abu Dhabi
The UFC lightweight title is back on the line
Saturday marks another major pay-per-view event in the fight game with UFC 294 from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
The card has undergone a massive shuffle after injuries to former champions Charles Oliveira and Paolo Costa affected the main event. The reconstructed card features an intriguing main card with plenty of star power in the main event.
Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski gets a shot at his second belt in a rematch against Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship in the main event. Eight months ago, Makhachev defeated Volkanovski by decision in a rather competitive fight between the current champions.
In the co-main event, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman jumps up to middleweight for a bout with phenom Khamzat Chimaev.
With the main event just days away, here are three bets to watch entering UFC 294, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Alexander Volkanovski by KO (+500)
Makhachev enters as the favorite, and rightfully so as an undisputed champion. The lightweight champion retained his belt in the last fight, but Volkanovski started to turn it on in the later rounds and smashed his opponent in the final round.
Volkanovski's talented striking found some success against the champion. Timing is everything in championship bouts. If the featherweight champ takes his shot, Volkanovski could become another double-champ.
Kamaru Usman by points (+550)
Chimaev has been dominant, no question about it. The phenom compiled a 12-0 record in the UFC in a rather dominant fashion as a talented fighter.
Usman is a former champion who has lost back-to-back- title bouts to welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Usman has power, cardio and experience that plays to his advantage in a chance to get back on track against one of the UFC's rising challengers.
Said Nurmagomedov by submission (+260)
Nurmagomedov has racked up 17 wins in his UFC career. Five of those wins have come via submission and his poised to add another to kick off the main card on Saturday against Muin Gafurov.
