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UFC 273 Odds, Picks & Predictions – Volkanovski vs Korean Zombie

Cole Shelton

By Cole Shelton in Mixed Martial Arts News

Published:


UFC 273 odds
Aljamain Sterling, left, celebrates his win over Brett Johns, of Wales, during the first round of their mixed martial arts bantamweight bout Saturday, April 21, 2018, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
  • A stacked UFC 273 card goes down on Saturday, April 9 in Jacksonville, Florida
  • Two titles are on the line as well as the highly-anticipated fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns
  • See the UFC 273 odds below, along with our best bet predictions for the main card

The UFC heads back to Jacksonville, Florida for a stacked UFC 273 card that sees the featherweight and bantamweight titles on the line. In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski looks to defend his belt for the third time as he battles Korean Zombie as the betting favorite in the UFC 273 odds. The co-main event sees the bantamweight title fight grudge match as Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan run it back after their controversial fight at UFC 259.

UFC 273 airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST. The table below shows UFC Columbus odds for the main card at Barstool Sportsbook followed by best bets. If you’re looking to learn how to bet UFC, this is a great card to try a few different strategies out.

UFC 273 Odds

Fighter Odds
Alexander Volkanovski -700
Korean Zombie +500
Fighter Odds
Aljamain Sterling +380
Petr Yan -500
Fighter Odds
Gilbert Burns +380
Khamzat Chimaev -500
Fighter Odds
Mackenzie Dern -120
Tecia Torres +100
Fighter Odds
Jairzinho Rozenstruik -160
Marcin Tybura +135

All odds as of April 4 at Caesars Sportsbook app

Volkanovski vs Zombie Odds, Prediction & Best Bet

The main event was supposed to be the trilogy bout between Alexander Volkanovski vs Max Holloway but about two months out, it was revealed the Hawaiian was forced out of the fight due to an injury. Now, Korean Zombie gets his second shot at becoming UFC champion.

Volkanovski vs Zombie Recent Fights

Volkanovski
VS
Zombie
Brian Ortega, win by decision (title fight) Fight 1 Dan Ige, win by decision
Max Holloway, win by split decision (title fight) Fight 2 Brian Ortega, loss by decision
Max Holloway, win by decision (title fight) Fight 3 Frankie Edgar, win by TKO
Jose Aldo, win by decision Fight 4 Renato Moicano, win by TKO

Since this fight was booked the odds have been stemmed. This was a surprise because Volkanovski is someone that hasn’t been respected by oddsmakers and bettors. However, this is a very good style matchup for the champ as Korean Zombie is getting older.

Volkanovski vs Zombie Stats

Volkanovski
VS
Zombie
33 Age 35
5’6″ Height 5’7″
71.5″ Reach 72″
3 UFC  Finishes 6

Korean Zombie first fought for UFC gold way back in 2013, but he suffered a decision loss to Jose Aldo, and now, 9 years later he will finally get the chance to fight for the belt again. He had four years of his career taken away due to mandatory military service and since coming back, he is 4-2 with three of the four wins coming by knockout.

The fight should be a striking one as Volkanovski will try and figure out the timing of Zombie and avoid the counter shots. Once he starts to get the timing and range, Volkanovski will be much more active. Look for him to also mix in the wrestling to help win the rounds and control the fight.

Volkanovski should be able to dominate this fight, as the UFC 273 odds suggest, so the better way to approach this fight is a prop at FanDuel or DraftKings. Despite the fact that the champ has won his last four fights by decision, I actually like him to get the stoppage.

Zombie’s chin isn’t as good as it once was, and Volkanovski could very well take this to the ground. Look for Volkanovski ITD or by KO/TKO.

Pick: Alexander Volkanovski (-700)

Sterling vs Yan 2 UFC 273 Pick

Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan met back in March 2021 at UFC 259 in a fight Yan was winning and starting to pull away. But, in the fourth round, he threw an illegal knee and was DQ’d, so Sterling became the new champ. Now, the two finally get to run it back, and the rivalry has only increased.

Sterling & Yan Recent Fights

Sterling
VS
Yan
Petr Yan, win by DQ (title fight) Fight 1 Cory Sandhagen, win by decision (interim title fight)
Cory Sandhagen, win by submission Fight 2 Aljamain Sterling, loss by DQ (title fight)
Pedro Munhoz, win by decision Fight 3 Jose Aldo, win by TKO (title fight)
Jimmie Rivera, win by decision Fight 4 Urijah Faber, win by KO

The odds seem high on this one as when they fought back in March Yan closed at a -125 favorite as people were torn on who would win. Although Yan was having his way with Sterling, the champ has since gotten neck surgery, so he should be better this time around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjFXoI89zMM&ab_channel=UFC-UltimateFightingChampionship

However, as the first fight showed, Yan is the much better striker, and Sterling won’t be able to take the Russian down. On the feet, Yan will just pick apart Sterling and win a clear-cut decision to become the champ again.

Look for the Yan by decision at Barstool Sportsbook or BetMGM to get better value, while he will also be a key parlay piece this weekend.

Pick: Petr Yan (-500)

Other UFC 273 Picks:

  • Khamzat Chimaev (-530): Chimaev is the real deal and will get the win here. Look for Chimaev by KO or Chimaev in round 1 to get better value.
  • Tecia Torres (-106): Torres will be able to keep this fight standing and out volume Dern to win a decision.
  • Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-155): Rozenstruik will be able to defend Tybura’s takedowns and eventually land a big right hand that KO’s Tybura.
Cole Shelton
Cole Shelton

Sports Writer

Cole graduated from Sheridan College in April of 2019 with a diploma in journalism. He now is a full-time freelance writer, focusing on MMA for sites like BJPENN, while also covering the Toronto Blue Jays as a credentialed media member. At SBD, Cole covers the four major sports and MMA.

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