A battle of top-10 heavyweights anchors the UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall card on Saturday as rising prospect Tom Aspinall faces accomplished veteran Alexander Volkov in the main event. The main card is set for 4 p.m. ET from the 02 Arena in London. This will be the first card the UFC has held internationally since the coronavirus pandemic took hold two years ago. The UFC London card will showcase numerous British fighters, including the No. 11-ranked Aspinall, whom many MMA observers believe is the most promising title-contender among a recent infusion of young heavyweights. He’s taking a major step up in competition against the No. 6-ranked Volkov, a six-year UFC veteran who has shared the Octagon with numerous title challengers.
Aspinall is a -130 favorite (risk $130 to win $100), while Volkov is a +110 underdog in the latest UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall odds from Caesars Sportsbook. In the co-main event, featherweight contenders take the spotlight when Arnold Allen (-135) meets Dan Hooker (+115). Before making any picks of your own for UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Andrew Gombas.
Gombas is a former NCAA wrestler who taps into his experience on the mat to dissect the X’s and O’s of MMA matchups in a manner that sets him apart from other MMA analysts. He started the MMA handicapping service MMA Knockout Bets in 2018 and has shown a profit every year since.
With more than 1,400 selections tracked by the third-party monitoring service Bet MMA, he has shown a 6 percent return on investment for his followers. Over the past two years, his followers have netted a profit of more than $10,000.
Gombas kicked off the 2022 UFC season in January by advising SportsLine members to support Calvin Kattar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in a battle of ranked featherweight contenders in the main event. Kattar dominated wire to wire to give Gombas’ followers an easy winner. Anyone who has followed him already has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall in sight, Gombas has studied the card from every angle and released his top MMA picks. Those UFC expert picks are only available at SportsLine.
UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall preview
Aspinall (11-2)’s footwork and athleticism are unusual for a man his size, and he has used these advantages to finish his four UFC fights. However, unlike many prospects who immediately call for top contenders or a title shot upon their emergence as a prospect, the soft-spoken Aspinall has vowed to take his journey carefully and progress one step at a time.
Last year, the Manchester native submitted stubborn former champion Andrei Arlovski in February before stopping fellow prospect Sergey Spivak in September. His first main event should provide a stern test from Volkov (34-9), who can enter the title-shot conversation with a victory over a top prospect.
The 33-year-old Volkov is known for his durability and above-average athleticism, but the Russian fighter has struggled against world-class opponents. His last three losses have come against recent title-challengers Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis, and he also lost to Curtis Blaydes, who is now ranked No. 4 in the division.
His notable victories have come against the likes of former title-challenger Alistair Overeem and prospect Marcin Tybura. You can only see who to back here.
UFC London predictions
We’ll share one of Gombas’ UFC Fight Night predictions here: He is siding with Mike Grundy (-180) to get past Makwan Amirkhani (+160) in a featherweight matchup.
Both fighters come from wrestling and grappling backgrounds and have had their share of close fights in the UFC. Grundy (12-3) has lost his last two and is coming off a disputed split-decision loss against veteran Lando Vannata last May.
Amirkhani (16-7) is a seven-year UFC veteran who won five of his first six fights with the promotion but has stumbled to a three-fight losing streak. He was stopped by fellow veteran Lerone Murphy in October.
“I think it’s a close fight, but I will side with Grundy because of his cardio edge,” Gombas told SportsLine.
How to make UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall picks
Gombas also has strong picks for Volkov vs. Aspinall and other fights on the UFC Fight Night card. He’s also backing a fighter who is “huge for the weight class” to emerge with a dominant upset victory. Those UFC Fight Night picks are only available at SportsLine.
Who wins Volkov vs. Aspinall? And which fighter pulls an upset? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC Fight Night, all from the insider who’s up more than $10,000 on MMA picks the past two years, and find out.
UFC Fight Night odds, fight card
Tom Aspinall (-130) vs. Alexander Volkov (+110)
Arnold Allen (-135) vs. Dan Hooker (+115)
Paddy Pimblett (-550) vs. Kazula Vargas (+425)
Muhammad Mokaev (-400) vs. Cody Durden (+320)
Cory McKenna (-250) vs. Elise Reed (+210)
Timur Valiev (-115) vs. Jack Shore (-105)
Nikita Krylov (-190) vs. Paul Craig (+170)
Sergei Pavlovich (-310) vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov (+255)
Mike Grundy (-180) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (+160)
Ilia Topuria (-500) vs. Jai Herbert (+400)
Molly McCann (-130) vs. Luana Carolina (+110)
Gunnar Nelson (-500) vs. Takashi Soto (+400)
