On Saturday at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov, Alistair Overeem will enter the Octagon for the 20th time under the UFC banner. He'll also appear in his fifth straight main event when he squares off against Alexander Volkov in a matchup of ranked heavyweights. Their clash tops the UFC fight card from the promotion's Apex facility in Las Vegas, with the main card set for 8 p.m. ET. The 40-year-old and fifth-ranked Overeem told the media this week he believes he is more fit and dangerous than he has ever been.
Overeem will put that statement to the test against the sixth-ranked Volkov, a 32-year-old Russian who has four stoppages among his eight UFC victories. Volkov is a -200 favorite (risk $200 to win $100), while Overeem is a +170 underdog in the latest UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov odds at William Hill Sportsbook. Before locking in any MMA picks of your own, make sure you see what SportsLine analyst Kyle Marley has to say, considering the epic run he's on.
Marley won the first-ever "ToutMaster" UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before each event.
Over the past 24 months, $100 bettors who have followed Marley's MMA picks are up more than $22,000. The accomplished MMA analyst heads into 2021 on the heels of a memorable run in 2020 that saw him hit on 24 of his last UFC 34 main-event selections, a stretch that included a streak of five straight underdogs.
Marley started 2021 off on a winning note by telling SportsLine members to support former featherweight champion Holloway (-160) against rising contender Calvin Kattar (+140) in the main event of UFC Fight Night three weeks ago. Anyone who has consistently followed Marley is way up.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov fast approaching, Marley has carefully studied every matchup on the card, identified the best value in the UFC odds and released his UFC picks for every fight. Those selections are only available here.
UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov preview
Marley knows the main event will play a major role in the future of a heavyweight division that has stagnated of late but should see plenty of action in 2021. Champion Stipe Miocic hasn't fought since beating Daniel Cormier to win their memorable trilogy last August. The champion is scheduled to take on top-ranked contender Francis Ngannou in March, and the winner of Saturday's main event should have a case for the next title bout.
Overeem (47-18-1) has come up short against both Miocic and Ngannou and would welcome a rematch with either. He had Miocic in trouble early before the volunteer firefighter turned the tables and earned a stoppage in their September 2016 title fight. The 40-year-old Dutch fighter also was memorably knocked out by Ngannou in December 2017.
Even so, the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion has won four of his past five bouts, all against upper-tier competition. He swept both of his 2020 bouts and is coming off an impressive fifth-round stoppage of prospect Augusto Sakai last September.
Overeem faces a similarly well-rounded opponent in Volkov (32-8), who already has notched wins against the likes of former champion Fabricio Werdum and fellow prospect Greg Hardy.
The 32-year-old former Bellator heavyweight champion split two bouts last year. He lost a close decision against second-ranked Curtis Blaydes before rebounding for a second-round finish in October against Walt Harris, who was in the top 10 at the time of their bout. You can see Marley's coveted Volkov vs. Overeem picks here.
UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov predictions
We'll reveal one of Marley's UFC Fight Night picks here: He is backing Manel Kape (+115) to earn a stoppage against Alexandre Pantoja (-135) in a matchup of flyweight contenders.
Pantoja (22-5) is currently ranked No. 5 in the division. He has lost two of his past three bouts but has still won four of his last six overall. In July 2019, he lost a decision against Deiveson Figueiredo, who has since gone on to become the division's champion. The 30-year-old Brazilian is looking to bounce back from a decision loss against Askar Askarov in July.
Kape (15-4) is making his UFC debut, but the promotion's brass has been so impressed by him that they immediately paired him against a top-five contender. The heavy-handed Angola native comes to the UFC on the strength of three consecutive knockout victories in the Rizin promotion.
"Kape is dangerous on his feet, and I give him the edge there. He might even be the first to knock Pantoja out if this fight stays standing," Marley told SportsLine. "I will lean with the underdog to win a striking battle."
How to make UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov picks
Marley also has strong picks for Overeem vs. Volkov and every other bout on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing one fighter who's "dangerous on the mat" and has a "huge edge in striking." Those selections are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Overeem vs. Volkov? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC Fight Night, all from the incomparable expert who's up more than $22,000 on MMA in the past 24 months, and find out.
UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov odds
Alexander Volkov (-200) vs. Alistair Overeem (+170)
Cory Sandhagen (-440) vs. Frankie Edgar (+360)
Macy Chiasson (-200) vs. Marion Reneau (+175)
Alexandre Pantoja (-135) vs. Manel Cape (+115)
Cody Stamann (-320) vs. Andre Ewell (+260)
Carlos Diego Ferreira (-120) vs. Beneil Dariush (+100)
Michael Johnson (-215) vs. Clay Guida (+185)
Mike Rodriguez (-230) vs. Danilo Marques (+195)
Molly McCann (-155) vs. Lara Procopio (+135)
Youssef Zalal (-230) vs. Seung Woo Choi (+195)
