UFC 273: Chan Sung Jung vs. Alex Volkanovski Parlay (2022)
The UFC heads to Florida for the first time this year as VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena will once again play host to an incredible night of fights. Headlined by two title fights in the main and co-main events, there’s no shortage of great action throughout the night, spanning both the prelim and main cards.
I’ve keyed in on two guys I think will get it done sooner rather than later.
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Leg #1. Ian Garry (-365 at DK Sportsbook)
The last fight of the prelims, I think, could sneaky be one of the best fights of the evening as two guys making just their second fight in the UFC will square off in the welterweight division. In the blue corner, Darian Weeks comes into this fight 0-1 with the promotion, losing to Bryan Barberena in his December debut, his only fight to go the distance of his young career (5-1).
His challenger, however, is the self-proclaimed next Conor McGregor; and he might have the juice to back that up. Coming over to the UFC in November after winning a Cage Warriors title, going 7-0 with the promotion, Garry knocked out Jordan Williams in round one for the 5th KO/TKO victory of his career. Look for a similar result for a fighter in Garry, who is also 4″ longer than his opponent on Saturday.
Leg #2. Khmzat Chimaev (-490 at DK Sportsbook)
Starting MMA just four years ago and joining the UFC in July 2020, Chimaev (#11) has ascended the ranks in short order after four straight finishes, three of which have come in the second round. Likely, that’s why not only is he leapfrogging the entire welterweight division to fight its #2 fighter in Gilbert Burns, but he is doing so as nearly 1/5 favorite.
Coming into this fight, Chimaev is averaging a staggering 8.68 significant strikes landed per minute, with 83% accuracy. While his opponent Burns excels on the ground, Chimaev has more than double the takedown average per 15 minutes (4.65) and nearly triple the takedown accuracy (66.7%).
What Burns lacks in metrics and wow-factor, he has in spades when fighting respected fighters. Since 2019, current pound-for-pound UFC champion Kamaru Usman is the only fighter he’s lost to, knocking off Stephen Thompson, Tyron Woodley, and Demian Maia in the time since.
While I started the week thinking Burns had the value in this fight, Chimaev, by all accounts and measured metrics, is the real deal and will look to end this one in short order. The only question I expect to be remaining is: Is Usman next, already?
Total Odds: -189 at DraftKings Sportsbook
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