No. 7 Alexander Volkov (30-7, 20 KOs, 3 SUBs) will meet former NFL All-Pro Greg Hardy (5-1, 5 KOs) at UFC on ESPN+ 21 on Saturday, November 9, 2019 at the CSKA Arena in Moscow, Russia. The card streams live on ESPN+ starting 2pm ET.
Whether you love or hate Greg Hardy, you can’t deny that he made one of the gutsiest moves of the year. Just a few weeks after going three rounds with Ben Sosoli - and having his win overturned for the use of an inhaler between rounds - Hardy has elected to travel to Russia to try and pull a Rocky Balboa against Alexander “Drago” Volkov.
With only seven pro MMA fights to his name, Hardy will step into the cage against a guy with nearly 40 pro fights. Not only that, Volkov held the heavyweight title in M-1 and Bellator. While Volkov is coming off a knockout loss to Derrick Lewis, he was well on his way to extending a six-fight winning streak before getting caught with a last-second hail mary haymaker. It’s very possible that he would’ve have fought for the title had he lasted just 10 more seconds. The Russian is very much a title contender, and Hardy is still a total newb.
That’s why we’ve at least got to give Hardy some credit for putting himself in such a dangerous position. There is definite upside here. The former Dallas Cowboy’s past will come up with every move he makes, but if he somehow beats Volkov and vaults himself into the top 7, that’ll make fans want to see more of him. Winning cures all, and a heavy dose of hype speeds up the recovery process. With Hardy’s athletic background and monster frame, he can quickly gain a lot of hype.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down your best betting options. Live UFC betting is available at the online sportsbook if you want to make any bets during the fight.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Alexander Volkov -264
Greg Hardy +236
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +240 / -320
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Volkov 6.28 / Hardy 5.73
Striking accuracy: Volkov 60% / Hardy 56%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Volkov 3.35 / Hardy 1.8
Striking defense: Volkov 56% / Hardy 69%
Grappling Stats
Takedowns per 15 minutes: Volkov 1.2 / Hardy 0
Takedown accuracy: Volkov 75% / Hardy 0
Takedown defense: Volkov 75% / Hardy 0
Submissions per 15 minutes: Volkov 0 / Hardy 0
Bet this UFC fight at the online sportsbook
Volkov is a beanpole at 6’7”, and unlike Stefan Struve, he actually knows how to utilize his height to maintain distance. While he doesn’t have killshot power, Drago still has the snap to lay guys out. Plus, he maintains a high pace, landing nearly seven strikes a minute. While he might not be an explosive athlete, he is faster than people give him credit for.
Hardy showed a lot of improvement in his battle with Sosoli - though he didn’t set a high bar to begin with. Mostly, he showed the ability to be patient, staying behind a jab and straight punches and refusing the instinct to try and truck people over with his ridiculous power. That’s progress. But it’s hard to get too excited here: Sosoli was making his UFC debut and was pretty much brought in to lose against Hardy. Also, Sosoli is seven inches shorter than Volkov.
UFC Odds Pick: Volkov to win inside the distance -120
This really goes one of two ways. Either 1: Volkov absolutely tunes up Hardy or 2: gets knocked out with a lucky punch. Yes, Hardy has the power to pull of a Derrick Lewis, but while The Black Beast is sloppy, he’s also an experienced fighter who knows how to survive and capitalize on openings. Hardy might be an even more explosive knockout artist, but the only time he’s faced serious adversity, he threw an illegal knee to find a way out. He has neither the experience nor skills to really stand a chance against Volkov, much less make it to the scorecards.
Bet on UFC odds at BookMaker.eu now
