Volkan Oezdemir vs. Nikita Krylov: UFC 280 Odds, Prediction

Despite posting just one win in his past three fights, Krylov has emerged as a healthy -190 favourite, while Oezdemir lags as a +145 underdog ahead of Sunday morning’s matchup at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Volkan Oezdemir Odds

Oezdemir has managed to maintain a spot among the top ten on the UFC light heavyweight rankings despite producing checkered results in recent years. The 33-year-old Swiss native is coming off a three-round unanimous decision win over Paul Craig in his last outing three months ago at UFC London, which marks just his third victory in eight fights since 2017.

A power puncher early in his career, which he kicked off with first-round knockout wins in seven of his first 10 pro fights, Oezdemir has been unable to maintain that level of dominance since joining the UFC in early 2017. “No Time” recorded speedy KO finishes in two of his three octagon appearances, but has hit a wall since the competition amped up, with his most notable knockout defeats coming at the hands of Daniel Cormier and current champion Jiri Prochazka.

While Oezdemir cracks the list among the UFC light heavyweight all-time leaders with 4.76 significant strikes landed per minute, concerns linger about his ability to go deep into fights. While he sports a perfect 12-0 record in fights lasting fewer than five minutes, he is just 3-3 in his last six fights that have extended beyond two rounds.

Nikita Krylov Odds

Fight fans never know what to expect when Nikita Krylov steps into the octagon. The loser in four of his six previous fights, capped by a stunning first-round submission loss to Paul Craig in London back in March, Krylov honestly earned a Performance of the Night bonus by knocking out Alexander Gustafsson just 67 secons into their clash in the UK capital in July.

Does that victory signal that Krylov has turned the corner on his recent shaky stretch? Given the recent all-or-nothing results he has produced, wagering on the 30-year-old Ukrainian is not for the faint of heart.

Over the course of his 10-year pro MMA career, Krylov has proven he can win, both standing and on the mat. Of his 28 career wins, 12 have come by knockout while 15 have been by submission. However, he has also seen the only three fights of his career to go the distance come over the span of his past five contests, with Krylov coming out on the wrong end of those decisions on two occasions.

UFC 280 Prediction: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Nikita Krylov

Given Oezdemir’s recent struggles against hard-hitting opponents, expect Krylov to attack early in pursuit of an early finish. But the longer this fight lasts, the more it is likely to favour Oezdemir.

Oezdemir by points or technical decision (+505)