UFC 321 takes place this weekend in Abu Dhabi with the heavyweight title on the line in the main event between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. The co-main event features a vacant strawweight title fight between Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba.
Elsewhere, there are plenty of competitive fights on the UFC 321 card. We take a look at some of the underdogs worth keeping an eye on, and maybe even betting on if you’re lucky!
3 Underdogs to Watch Out for at UFC 321
Alexander Volkov outright (+150)
Alexander Volkov will take on Jailton Almeida in an exciting heavyweight bout, which will take place on the main card of UFC 321. This fight could go a long way in determining the next contender for the heavyweight title, meaning both men will really be putting everything into their pursuit of a victory.
Volkov has a point to prove in this one after losing his last outing. He did this via a razor-sharp split decision to Ciryl Gane. He no longer wants to leave it to the jury and starts looking for a finish.
The assumption is that Almeida will try to get Volkov on the ground as quickly as possible, but the Russian’s ground game is highly underestimated. Being 6 feet tall, he can use his long limbs to make life difficult for the Brazilian. At +150 he is worth a look.
Mario Bautista Outright (+350)
This is a risk. There’s a reason Mario Bautista is a +350 underdog. He will be taking on former title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov, who is without a doubt a phenomenal talent. That said, they have similar records. The Russian is 18-1 and the American is 16-2.
Since Nurmagomedov had a title shot, we assume he faced the best the division has to offer. This is not the case. Yes, he has faced the champion, as well as Cory Sandhagen. Beyond that, the competition was not elite. According to Tapology, the smallest favorite he has been is -540. Bautista, on the other hand, has put up a stiff competition. He also faced Sandhagen, but this was in his first promotional outing that he took on at short notice. He met Patchy Mix last time, he faced Jose Aldo, he clashed with Ricky Simon, all bringing a different style to the octagon.
Nurmagomedov does 3.26 deletions per 15 minutes with an accuracy of 39%. Bautista has a good takedown defense of 67%. The output is on Bautista’s side with an average of 6.13 hits per minute, compared to 4.38 on the other side.
If Bautista can take an early lead at this stage, he may have enough experience to stay out of Nurmagomedov’s sights.
Chris Barnett outright (+310)
It’s hard to understand why Chris Branett is such a big underdog in this. He faces Hamdy Abdelwahab, who has a professional record of 4-1 and has only had two fights since 2022 due to a failed drug test. He went 1-1 and only won via split decision.
Barnett has much more experience. He has been a professional since 2009 and has amassed a record of 23-9. There’s no denying that he’s unlikely to fill in for Tom Aspinall or Ciryl Gane if they leave the UFC 321 main event. However, there is no substitute for experience. He’s gone 2-2 in the UFC, but it’s exciting every time he competes.
Don’t expect high output, don’t expect anything phenomenal from either man, but Barnett is quite a shout at +310!
#UFC #Underdogs #Watch #Abu #Dhabi #MMASucka