UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski Odds, Predictions and Pre-Weigh-in Hype

Islam Makhachev is attempting to add credibility to his status as lightweight champion. Alexander Volkanovski is looking to join the exclusive club of two-division champions in UFC history.

Only one will be able to accomplish their goal at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia.

Makhachev took the lightweight title from Charles Oliveira in a battle for the belt "Do Bronx" vacated for missing weight. The 31-year-old ran through the former champion en route to a second-round submission victory.

Now, he'll take on a dominant featherweight champion in Volkanovski, who will be fighting in his home country for the first time since 2018.

In the co-main event, the featherweight division will get some clarity with an interim championship fight between Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett.

Here's a look at the complete card and the latest buzz before weigh-ins.

Main Card (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV)

• Islam Makhachev (c) -380 (bet $380 to win $100) vs. Alexander Volkanovski (c) +310 (bet $100 to win $310)—for Makhachev's lightweight championship
• Yair Rodrigeuz -190 vs. Josh Emmett +160
• Jack Della Maddalena -325 vs. Randy Brown +270
• Justin Tafa -125 vs. Parker Porter +105
• Jimmy Crute -190 vs. Alonzo Menifield +160

Prelims (8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+)

• Tyson Pedro -240 vs. Modestas Bukauskas +200
• Josh Culibao -105 vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan -115
• Shannon Ross +265 vs. Kleydson Rodrigues -320
• Jamie Mullarkey -265 vs. Francisco Prado +225

Early Prelims (6 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass)

• Jack Jenkins -345 vs. Don Shainis +285
• Loma Lookboonmee -280 vs. Elise Reed +235
• Shane Young -135 vs. Blake Bilder +115
• Zubaira Tukhugov -600 vs. Elves Brener +450

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

You have to go all the way back to 2019 to find a time when Alexander Volkanovski was a legitimate underdog in a fight. That was the first time he fought Max Holloway before he picked up his first of three wins over "Blessed."

Since then, Volkanovski has at least been a slight favorite in each of his bouts. "The Great" has earned the reputation as the best featherweight in the world. His lone loss came all the way back in 2013 when he was honing his craft in Australia.

But Volkanovski will be taking on a new challenge Saturday night. Moving up to fight at lightweight, the 5'6" Australian will have a size deficit against the 5'10" Makhachev.

So while the underdog role is an unfamiliar one, he's embracing it leading into their fight.

"I love the underdog story. I love being the underdog and people saying I'm undersized and all that type of stuff. It just adds to the story and it's going to add to the victory," Volkanovski said, per Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting.

Volkanovski wouldn't be in this position if he didn't have supreme confidence in himself. But the size disparity isn't just a big deal in the striking. Makhachev is a grinder who can impose his will on opponents, and that's going to be hard for Volkanovski to stop given the size difference.

Prediction: Makhachev via decision

Josh Emmett has been fighting in the UFC since 2016, but there's no doubt the lights have never been brighter than they will be on Saturday night.

Emmett has never fought for a title, but a five-fight win streak has earned him the right to vie for the interim featherweight championship. He credits the run to an intense focus on what lies ahead and what he needs to do.

"I'm only focused on winning and things that are going to get me to winning the title," Emmett said, per Dermott Chatwin of Fox Sports Australia. "I'm not focused on anything else, because it is just noise to me."

The stylistic matchup we'll see between Emmett and Rodriguez will be fascinating. "Pantera" is the slight favorite and has the much flashier highlight reel.

From spinning strikes to unorthodox elbows, Rodriguez has a flair for the dramatic.

Emmett is all meat and potatoes when it comes to his striking. He has some vicious knockouts to his name, but if those big blows don't present themselves, he's perfectly happy to box.

That could be enough to earn him the upset win and an interim belt.

Prediction: Emmett via decision

Alexander Volkanovski isn't the only fighter looking for a huge win in his native land. Jack Della Maddalena will fight in front of a hometown crowd in Perth hoping to extend his winning streak in the UFC to four.

The welterweight came into the organization with a 10-fight win streak after starting his career 0-2. He's done nothing but look like a future star early on in his run with the company.

Thus far, he's won all three fights by first-round knockout. He believes he's in shape for a 15-minute fight, but he doesn't think he'll need that long this time around.

"If you can cruise into a fight and take someone out early and you don't have any battle scars, that's perfect," he told Matthew Sullivan of news.com.au. "That's how I'd like it to go every single time. I try and get it over with as quickly and cleanly as possible. It's definitely the goal."

Randy Brown is a step up in competition for Della Maddalena. The 6'3" striker is on a four-fight win streak of his own and has been fighting better competition more consistently.

But he also doesn't have nearly the same power. He hasn't scored a TKO win since 2019 and is much more dangerous on the ground, but he doesn't often initiate wrestling.

Della Maddalena is eventually going to have to prove himself against someone who wants to wrestle him. That time is not coming on Saturday.

Prediction: Della Maddalena via second-round TKO

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