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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight strikers Alexander Volkov vs. Sergei Pavlovich will collide this weekend (Sat., June 22, 2024) at UFC Saudi Arabia inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Recent teammates will throw down here, but there’s actually no bad blood. Instead, this showdown between Volkov and Pavlovich was simply announced before it was signed, and then the pressure to compete was on. We’ll see how and if that specific wrinkle affects the fight, but the match up itself makes sense.

Pavlovich enters the contest having most recently lot his interim title match up versus Tom Aspinall. Prior to that knockout loss (watch highlights), he was destroying opponents left and right. Meanwhile, Volkov has won three in a row via stoppage, earning an opportunity to fight back into the title mix.

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Volkov Vs. Pavlovich Betting Odds

• Alexander Volkov victory: +195
• Alexander Volkov via TKO/KO/DQ: +350
• Alexander Volkov via submission: +1400
• Alexander Volkov via decision: +650
• Sergei Pavlovich victory: -238
• Sergei Pavlovich via TKO/KO/DQ: -145
• Sergei Pavlovich via submission: -1600
• Sergei Pavlovich via decision: -600
• Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

How Volkov Wins

Volkov is one of Heavyweight’s better kickboxers. A long-range striker with a background in multiple styles of Karate, Volkov likes to pick opponents apart with stabbing front kicks before moving in to end the fight with his hands. He’s not known as a massive hitter relative to his peers, but 28 victories via stoppage is nothing to scoff at.

In this bout, Volkov has to be (reasonably) aggressive. He’s not going to keep Pavlovich off him by hanging on his back foot, kicking, and circling off from exchanges. Pavlovich is too big, mean, and powerful for that, and the actual end result will be that Volkov gets clipped while trying to lean away from an exchange.

Like it or not, Volkov’s best odds involve braving the fire. He doesn’t want to brawl with Pavlovich — a terrible idea by any measure — but Volkov cannot be timid. He has to throw his own hard, threatening punches down the middle and force Pavlovich’s respect. If he can stand his ground a bit and earn Pavlovich’s respect, his combination and kicking advantages should come into play.

Volkov has only been knocked out twice in 47 Heavyweight fights. He has to trust in his own durability and power, even in the face of a bruiser like Pavlovich.

How Pavlovich Wins

Pavlovich is a tank. The Russian boxer doesn’t have a particularly deep game that we’ve ever seen, but he can whip shockingly powerful punches at his opponent in quick succession. He also has a Greco-Roman wrestling background, which hasn’t come into play in several years now.

Pressuring the rangy kicker is pretty much always the best bet, even if Pavlovich didn’t have the cheat code that is an 84 inch reach. An immediate bull rush could work but isn’t necessary, not when Volkov is historically a bit slow on his feet. Lesser strikers like Marcin Tybura have managed to close the distance and crack him on occasion, but Pavlovich hits much, much harder.

In short, a bit of tactical pressure and ring craft likely score Pavlovich the pocket, which is exactly where he wants to be. When he explodes from the pocket, opponents rarely get back up.

Volkov Vs. Pavlovich Prediction

It’s hard to back Volkov when “Drago” himself admitted that sparring sessions with Pavlovich rarely went well.

Now, Volkov has a chance. He hits plenty hard and is tough as nails. Pavlovich is not a defensive mastermind or particularly durable slugger. If Volkov cracks him with a right down the middle or trips him to the floor, the veteran could produce a sudden finish himself.

The simplest outcome seems most likely though: Pavlovich unloads an ungodly powerful combination in Volkov’s general direction, something lands, and Volkov hits the floor within the first couple minutes.

Prediction: Pavlovich via knockout (-145)

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Saudi Arabia fight card right here, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (on ABC/ESPN+) at 3 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Saudi Arabia: “Whittaker vs. Aliskerov” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

After picking up a massive upset win in April, Ryan Garcia says he’s done with the sport of boxing.

As it stands currently, Garcia earned a decision win over Devin Haney at an April 20 event in Brooklyn, but the victory came with controversy after he tested positive for a banned substance — which Garcia’s team announced was due to a pair of tainted supplements. On top of that, Garcia was arrested for felony vandalism in Beverly Hills, Calif., earlier this month.

With everything piling up in Garcia’s life, the star boxer released a barrage of tweets Wednesday that led to him announcing he’s done with boxing.

“I’m officially retired,” Garcia said in his final tweet on Wednesday night.

Garcia also teased dropping a “meme coin,” which is something that was mentioned in the replies of some of the posts.

If it is the end of Garcia’s boxing career, he would retire at the age of 25, and with a pro record of 25-1 (20 KOs). Garcia’s lone loss came in April 2023 when he was stopped in the seventh round by Gervonta Davis.

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Bellator MMA standout and Conor McGregor teammate Peter Queally has offered some insight into when we might see the Irish megastar step back inside the Octagon.

After nearly three years on the shelf, ‘Mystic Mac’ was scheduled to headline UFC 303 on June 29 opposite ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case after McGregor withdrew from the bout due to an undisclosed injury.

Speaking with talkSPORT, Queally confirmed that he has some inside information on McGregor’s injury, though he refused to disclose those details. He did however offer fans a timeline for when we could see McGregor finally throw hands with the former Bellator champ.

“It seems like they will endeavor to make that fight in September time,” Queally said. “Something like that maybe. That’s what I’m hearing. That’s what you can look forward to if they can make it happen.”

Peter queally disappointed by conor McGregor’s sudden withdrawal

Having traveled the world with Conor McGregor and witnessing his rise to superstardom firsthand, Queally was gutted to learn about McGregor’s withdrawal from International Fight Week.

“I’m so disappointed. Obviously, I’m his friend,” Queally added. “You didn’t want to see a guy experiencing anything bad who you are friends or close with. Just as a fan, I was looking forward to going out, enjoying the week in [Las] Vegas, going to the fight, and taking in everything that is a Conor fight. There’s nothing like it on Earth. Anyone who hasn’t been to one, I’d save your pennies, go, and try to experience that. It’s pretty crazy. I’ve been lucky to have been at all of them.

“That’s what I was looking forward to and that’s what I’m most disappointed about. I just wanted to be involved again and experience that another time.”

While Queally has not booked his own return to the cage following a disappointing no-contest against Daniele Miceli at Bellator 299, ‘The Showstopper’ will be on the call this Saturday, June 22, when the Bellator Champions Series returns to 3Arena in Dublin.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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Clarification
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UFC

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Nobody outside of his immediate circle knows exactly what is going wrong for Khamzat Chimaev. Just days ago, the top-ranked Middleweight prospect was forced to withdraw at the last second from his planned main event — and likely title eliminator — versus Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia. He was ultimately replaced by Ikram Aliskerov, and pictures quickly circulated of “Borz” in the hospital.

The particularly unfortunate part is that this isn’t Chimaev’s first health problem. The Chechen wrestling ace suffered a nasty bout of COVID-19 in 2020, and his illness was so severe that he considered retirement. In the four years since, he’s fought just four times and seen several fights and multiple scheduled main events cancelled.

Initially, Chimaev’s withdrawal from UFC Saudi Arabia was contributed to food poisoning. Top Middleweight prospect Bo Nickal attributed it to partying too much, though that rumor has been denied outright. Whatever the case, a member of Khamzat Chimaev’s training camp, Tam Khan, has issued his own statement alleging that it’s a more serious health issue than food poisoning.

“All these fake rumours about [Khamzat Chimaev] pulling out due to food poisoning is absolutely bullshit,” Khan wrote on X. “I was part of the camp & behind the scenes. As a brother I won’t share his dark times but trust me when I say, he was very sick & hospitalised. The guy’s a beast & to see him so bad wasn’t a good time for us all.

“Praying for his recovery & comeback. Unfortunately God had other plans & nobody could’ve anticipated or foreseen this. The last weeks were tough & he tried every solution but last week got so bad that it was impossible to fight. InshaAllah he’ll be back, but for now, rest & recovery is needed.”

The last time we saw Chimaev in the Octagon was opposite short-notice replacement Kamaru Usman, and “Borz” remained undefeated via close decision. He should be closing in on a title shot that’s been talked about since 2022, but these consistent delays and health issues have significantly slowed the 30 year old’s rise.

It remains to be seen when he’ll be back in action.

Insomnia

Ian Garry doesn’t see too much special about Michael Page.

The endless weight cutting could severely impact Ikram Aliskerov’s performance if he’s not careful. Large cuts are timed specifically to the weigh-in date for a reason!

Tim Sylvia is competing in slap fights at 48 years of age. Surely, this will end well.

If Chael Sonnen said it, then it must be true!

The science behind Mike Davis’ injury, as well as Drew Dober’s classy reaction to it.

Robert Whittaker is probably the most badass video game nerd on the planet.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Heavy punches in the pocket:

This is a very quick transition to the back and under the neck.

I’ve said it before, but there’s no such thing as too many power kicks into the open side.

Random Land

Trippy little graphic trickery.

Midnight Music: Soul, 1969

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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