Two UFC championship belts will be on the line when the scene shifts to VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida for UFC 273. Alexander Volkanovski aims to defend his UFC featherweight title with a 21st straight victory when he battles “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in the UFC 273 main event as a short 1.20 favourite on the MMA odds. The UFC bantamweight crown will be up for grants when defending champion Aljamain Sterling enters the octagon for a long-awaited rematch with interim champion Petr Yan as a lengthy 4.00 underdogs.
CanadianBettingSites takes a look at all the odds and trends ahead of UFC 273, which is set for Saturday, April 9. Sports bettors looking to get in on UFC action for the first time can refer to our best online sportsbook reviews to learn all they need to know about UFC betting in Canada.
Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Chan Sung Jung (ic) – UFC Featherweight Championship
Professional MMA Records
Alexander Volkanovski: 23-1
Chan Sung Jung: 17-6
Alexander Volkanovski will be looking to extend his unblemished record since joining the UFC to 11-0 when he returns to action at UFC 273. The 33-year-old Australian has been idle since successfully defending his UFC featherweight title for a second time in his last outing, a five-round unanimous decision win over Brian Ortega six months ago at UFC 266.
It’s Insane how Alexander Volkanovski:
– Won a 3 round fight vs The 3 round Specialist Jose Aldo
– Came from behind to win the championship rounds vs The Cardio King Max Holloway
– Got a 10-8 round on the ground vs The Ju-Jitsu God Brian Ortega
This is why he’s P4P #1 pic.twitter.com/tXAH0J5jT4
— ًAce (@AceBoxingMMA) December 9, 2021
A proven power puncher earlier in his career, “Alexander the Great” has steadily adapted to the long game in recent years, with seven of his past nine contests getting settled by the judges. That run also includes his five-round unanimous decision win over Max Holloway at UFC 245 that first earned him the belt, and their epic rematch at UFC 251, which Volkaonski narrowly won by split decision.
Volkanovski styling on Holloway off the back-foot. Feinting to draw out offense, which is both anticipated and avoided.
Sound on, if you want to cringe pic.twitter.com/iOukZGQAYy
— FiggyTwoTimes (@Wangchanboi) December 6, 2020
Things haven’t gone quite as well for Chan, who makes his second career bid for the UFC featherweight title as a lengthy 4.75 underdog. It has been nine months since The Korean Zombie earned a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ide at UFC Vegas 29. That marked the third time in five outings that Chan has gone a full five rounds, but just his lone win over that stretch.
The Korean Zombie is a tank! How did he not go lights out after that Ortega spinning elbow?!?!? #UFCFightIsland6 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/Qm7swddmZq
— Pound For Pound: MMA Podcast (@PFP_Podcast) October 18, 2020
The 34-year-old has otherwise quickly disposed of opponents, with his three previous victories each coming inside five minutes and earning him Performance of the Night bonuses. That run features speedy victories over Frankie Edgar and Renato Moicano. However, duplicating that feat will be a massive challenge against Volkanovski.
Best Bet: Volkanovski (1.20) at Bet99
Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Petr Yan (ic) – UFC Bantamweight Championship
Professional MMA Records
Aljamain Sterling: 20-3
Petr Yan: 16-2
Aljamain Sterling walked away from his first clash with Petr Yan at UFC 259 as UFC bantamweight champion, but the fight for the right to be called champion was far from settled on that night in Las Vegas in March 2021. Sterling was proclaimed champion after Yan was disqualified for delivering an illegal knee to the hand. However, the 32-year-old American remained unsatisfied with the way he won that fight and will be seeking legitimacy in his rematch with Yan at UFC 273.
Aljamain Sterling is the NEW UFC Bantamweight Champion after this illegal knee disqualified Petr Yan #UFC259pic.twitter.com/lQ6ITgu9ip
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 7, 2021
Sterling looks to his first-ever title defence riding a six-fight win streak. However, that has done little to boost his position on the UFC 273 odds, where he continues to lag as a 4.00 underdog.
PETRY YAN DROPS SANDHAGEN WITH A SPINNING BACKFIST 😱 #UFC267 pic.twitter.com/DVaBqdxzCW
— UFC (@ufc) October 30, 2021
Yan has kept busy since last year’s clash, redeeming himself with a five-round unanimous decision win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 267 that earned him the interim title. Overall, Yan has proven his ability to both go the distance and quickly finish opponents, with four of his eight UFC victories coming by KO or TKO. Most observers that watched the first clash between these fighters agree that Yan enjoyed a clear edge over Sterling before being disqualified in their first meeting, making it tough to bet against “No Mercy” this time around.
Best Bet: Yan (1.25)
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