- Alexander Volkanovski remains the betting favorite -185 on BetMGM. Brian Ortega is currently a +150 underdog in his second title shot at featherweight.
- One of my favorite betting picks for UFC 266 is Volkanovski to win by decision.
- We review the latest UFC 266 odds and betting props below.
The UFC will return to Las Vegas where UFC 266 will go down at the T-Mobile Arena on Sept 25. Headlined by two title fights featuring the Volkanovski vs Ortega for the featherweight strap. Then Valentina Shevchenko will defend her flyweight title for the sixth time against Lauren Murphy. We review the latest UFC 266 betting odds from our online sports betting sites section below.
Volkanovski vs Ortega Prediction
This is a tougher fight to predict after seeing Ortega’s last performance. We saw a new version of “T-City” against The Korean Zombie. However, seeing how Volkanovski handled Max Holloway in both of those fights shows us he has the championship spirit and is now entering his prime at 32 years of age.
Volkanovski is well-versed in dealing with unorthodox strikers like Ortega, he trains with City Kickboxing who have the likes of Israel Adesanya and he has 10 rounds in the bank with Max Holloway.
Getting into the UFC 266 stats for this match-up. Volkanovski has a striking accuracy of 55%, striking defense 60%. His takedown success is 34% with a defense of 72%, which is essential going up against Ortega who has a slick ground game.
Ortega is the more dangerous fighter of the two. He is capable of pulling off a finish in the first or later rounds of the fight. After his loss to Holloway, he’s revamped his training and now looks better than ever. The question is how will that evolved approach fair out against an immovable object like Volkanovski.
One of the best opportunities Ortega has to get the upper hand on Volkanovski, is to use his switch stance and fight in an unpredictable manner that stops Volkanovski from getting into his rhythm. That being said, if Alex does find his stride Ortega absorbs 6.28 strikes per minute compared to Alex’s 3.31. We saw this in the Holloway fight, where Ortega’s defense was wide open and he took 307 of 507 shots from “Blessed”.
Volkanovski has high-level fight IQ, he doesn’t rush into anything and offers real championship-level experience which will be mean Ortega will have his hands full come fight night.
Interestingly enough Volkanovski will have a reach advantage over Ortega. I expect both fighters to keep this fight on the feet, with the gap in striking narrowing in terms of who’s got the edge. I expect Volkanovski to use leg kicks to slow down Ortega’s movement. Both fighters are durable and for that reason I see
Best Betting Props for Volkanovski vs Ortega
The betting odds for Volkanovski vs Ortega haven’t changed much since opening a few months back. Ortega offers real value with his finish odds by TKO/KO or submission. Whereas Volkanovski has been leveling up since we saw him last and as a slight favorite for this UFC 266 headliner. Let’s find out what are the best UFC 266 odds for wagering on.
Volkanovski wins by decision: +135
Alex “The Great” has won by decision his past three fights. That’s a win rate of 36% by decision. At these current odds of +135, you can wager $100 to net $135 on Volkanovski to defeat Ortega by decision.
Ortega wins by submission: +650
Everyone knows Brian Ortega is a beast for submissions. Especially from 2016-17, where he won by submission three times. While his game has evolved to become a real threat on the feet, this seems like the perfect fight for Ortega to bring out the standing guillotine. At +650, you can bet $100 to win $650.
Over 4.5 Rounds: -150
As I mentioned in the fight prediction these two fighters are durable as they come. while a KO or Submission is still on the cards, the odds are favoring this fight to go past 4.5 rounds and that’s a safe enough bet in my eyes.
UFC 266 Odds for Main Card & Prelims
| Favorite | Underdog | Line |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Volkanovski | Brian Ortega | -185 / +150 |
| Valentina Shevchenko | Lauren Murphy | -1375 / +800 |
| Robbie Lawler | Nick Diaz | -120 / +100 |
| Curtis Blaydes | Jairzinho Rozenstruik | -305 / +240 |
| Jessica Andrade | Cynthia Calvillo | -280 / +225 |
| Merab Dvalishvili | Marlon Moraes | -235 / +190 |
| Dan Hooker | Nasrat Haqparast | -180 / +155 |
| Chris Daukaus | Shamil Abdurakhimov | -180 / +155 |
| Manon Fiorot | Mayra Bueno Silva | -300 / +235 |
| Karl Roberson | Nick Maximov | -120 / +100 |