UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 odds, best bets, picks, and start time for Saturday's fight card in Australia
Here's a look at our favorite bets for the UFC 325 fight card headlined by Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes
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3 min read
UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 will air Saturday on Paramount+, with a headlining bout featuring reigning two-time featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski versus challenger Diego Lopes. This fight will be for the UFC featherweight championship, which Volkanovski holds after defeating Lopes at UFC 314. Volkanovski is a -148 favorite (risk $148 to win $100), while Lopes is a +120 underdog. There are four other fights listed on the UFC 325 main card: Dan Hooker vs. Benoît Saint Denis, Rafael Fiziev vs. MaurÃcio Ruffy, Tai Tuivasa vs. Tallison Teixeira and Quillan Salkilld vs. Jamie Mullarkey. Sports fans and bettors interested in UFC 325 can stream the event live and exclusively on Paramount+. Here's a look at some of our favorite bets for the card.
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Best bets for UFC 325
Torrez Finney money line vs. Jacob Malkoun
Malkoun hasn't fought in nearly two years and he's 2-2 in his last four fights, but he's still being favored over Finney, who is 11-0 and has won seven of his fights via knockout. Five of his bouts have ended in the first round. Of Malkoun's eight career wins, five have come by decision. This is a contrast of styles and there's not much separating the two fighters physically, so I'll go with the one who is undefeated and still getting treated like an underdog. Finney is +122 to win (risk $122 to win $100).
Cam Rowston vs. Cody Brundage Over 1.5 rounds
Rowston's last two fights only last one round, but his previous seven bouts all went at least two rounds. Brundage's last two fights both went three rounds. Rowston had five straight fights ending in either a decision or submission before finally getting a few KO/TKOs in the last two fights. He's a substantial favorite to win the fight itself, so total rounds is the place to find more value. Brundage does have a propensity to lose via knockout which can be concerning but I think he can push past some early scares to take this fight to the second round. The Over pays -102 (risk $102 to win $100).
Rafael Fiziev money line vs. Mauricio Ruffy
SportsLine's combat sports editor Josh Nagel has Fiziev as one of his top underdog leans for UFC 325, so I'm leaning on his expertise with this pick. Fiziev had lost three straight fights prior to his win at UFC: Hill vs. Roundtree Jr. but he's a good candidate to land a knockout blow as eight of his 13 wins have come in that form. Ruffy is also a knockout merchant with 11 of his 12 wins coming in that form, so there's the possibility this ends quicker than expected. Fiziev is only a slight underdog and there's a chance this becomes an even line by the time the event actually gets going. Fiziev to win pays +104 (risk $100 to win $104).
Diego Lopes money line vs. Alexander Volkanovski
It's easy to back Volkanovski to win the rematch but he did lose three of his four fights prior to that victory. He gets his fair share of knockouts but a sizable chunk of his victories come via decision. On the flip side, 23 of Lopes' 27 victories have come via knockout or submission. I'd also lean to the Under on 4.5 rounds for this match. Only one of Lopes' last 10 fights went to the fifth round while Volkanovski got to the fifth round in six of his last 10 fights. As Nagel notes, Lopes did make a late push in the first matchup and is going to have his adjustments ready to go. I think he takes the belt in this headliner bout.
