UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie Odds

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

12 minute read

UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie is the upcoming pay-per-view mixed martial arts event put on by the UFC. The fight card will take place on April 9, 2022, in the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

In the UFC 273 main event, reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is set to defend his title against fourth-ranked divisional contender, Chan Sung Jung, also known as ‘The Korean Zombie’. Both men are excellent strikers and make an entertaining pairing to look forward to on April 9.

In the co-main event, bantamweight rivals lock horns once again. Current champion Aljamain Sterling takes on Petr Yan for the title. The two have faced off once prior with Sterling winning via disqualification. Yan is the current interim champion.

Additionally, UFC 273 will feature notable appearances from touted prospect Khamzat Chimaev taking on Gilbert Burns, undefeated Olympic wrestler turned mixed martial artist, Mark O. Madsen, and unbeaten Irish prospect Ian Garry.

UFC 273 Featherweight Main Event Odds
Alexander Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie

After beating Max Holloway for the belt in 2019, Volkanovski has been dominating all competition. He is looking to become a long-reigning champion.

The Korean Zombie is a long-time UFC contender with a flashy striking style. He brings heavy power to the cage and is never out of a fight due to his finishing ability.

Volkanovski is unbeaten in the UFC with 10 straight wins, meanwhile the challenger just went an impressive five rounds against Dan Ige, looking sharp as ever in doing so.

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UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie Odds

Back in January the betting line opened with Volkanovski priced at -450 (bet $450 to win $100) and the challenger as the +333 ‘dog (bet $100 to win $333).

Since then money has been pouring in on the champion. The champion can now be had for a chalky -700 whereas the challenger is priced at +500.

UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie Odds Comparison

Bettors have plenty of options to bet Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie and you can compare the odds at three of the most popular betting operators in the United States.

UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie Deep Dive

Both men featured in the main event of UFC 273 have had lots of ring time at the highest level. For that reason there are many trends and statistics which we can use to break down this intriguing matchup, in hopes of finding an edge.

Alexander Volkanovski

• Age: 33
• Height: 5’6”
• Weight: 145 lbs
• Record: 23-1 (10-0 UFC)

The 33-year-old Alexander Volkanovski just keeps winning. He currently holds two wins over Max Holloway, a guy viewed as the greatest 145-pounder of all time, and most recently had an impressive outing against Brian Ortega. He is moving closer to GOAT status every time he steps foot in the octagon.

Alexander is good because he is well rounded. With a background in professional rugby he has gained immense strength and takedown defense. He is an effective wrestler both offensively and defensively. On the feet his attacks are targeted at all areas. No striking techniques can't be found in his arsenal.

The Korean Zombie

• Age: 34
• Height: 5’9”
• Weight: 145 lbs
• Record: 17-6 (7-5 UFC)

Chan Sung Jung is a lethal contender at featherweight. In his 12 UFC outings he has produced performance-bonus-worthy fights in eight bouts.

One of his greatest strengths is his rhythm manipulation. He is particularly great at reading patterns in his opponents' fighting styles and countering effectively.

The Zombie is great on the ground too. He is one of few to get a twister submission in the UFC. He also holds a submission win over lightweight contender Dustin Poirier. He is as well rounded as they come.

UFC 273: Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie Prediction

If Volkanovski wins this Saturday it’ll be his fourth straight title win. In doing so he will only need one more win to tie with Holloway’s record of four title defenses, although Alexander will have done it consecutively.

Striking wise there’s no one close to Volkanovski at featherweight. He is a guy who has cracked the code in my opinion. First of all he mixes up targets extremely efficiently. His leg kicks are out of this world, as are his combinations up top.

Secondly, he tailors specific game plans to each opponent every time he fights. Against Holloway, he hindered the movement of Max by chopping down his legs and countering his jabs with power hooks up top.

Two wins over Holloway are not to be taken lightly, even if the last one was close. Being able to hang with Holloway for five rounds is a win in and of itself. Being able to win a decision is very impressive.

The Zombie is a dangerous counter striker, and Volkanovski has been hit hard before. However, on the striking numbers Volkanovski has him beat by a landslide.

On average, Volkanovski lands 3.08 more strikes than he absorbs. The same number is 0.2 for Jung. That’s a huge difference statistically, and going the distance I do not see The Zombie keeping up with the champ on the strike totals.

If Chan Sung Jung wants to win he needs to catch Volkanovski on the feet and put him out, or, potentially drop him and jump on a submission.

Volkanovski has been shown to be vulnerable if pressured for extended periods of time in the cage. Mendes was able to catch him with a slick right hook-left hook combination on the fence but wasn’t able to end the fight.

The thing is, Volkanovski gives so many looks that it's hard for a counter puncher like The Zombie to jot down any noticeable tendencies. Renato Moicano had that range-finding jab he would lead with before unloading a combination. The Zombie was able to slip that and catch him cold with a hard right hook.

Volkanovski works best in the middle of the octagon, and I’m afraid Jung won’t be able to dominate the physical space in this outing. The champ moves far too well. He will never allow himself to be caught on the fence.

Then there’s the consistency. Jung’s 7-5 UFC record doesn’t exactly paint a picture of a winning fighter. Jung has won fights that he was supposed to, but he has also dropped fights where he was ahead. It is important to mention the Yair Rodriguez fight here. He got caught with seconds remaining of the fifth and final round.

Volkanovski is a guy you need to finish to beat. We saw against Max Holloway that he will not stop. Even after getting dropped in rounds one and two he still came back to win rounds three, four and five. The guy just does not let up. He always keeps his head cool and never deviates from the game plan.

The counter-punching style means The Zombie will wait too much in this fight. This will allow the champion to rack up good numbers on the strike totals and slowly but surely steal rounds.

I think Holloway is the only worthy challenger to give Volkanovski a run for his money right now.

UFC 273 Prediction: Alexander Volkanovski (-700) by Decision

UFC 273 Bantamweight Co-Main Event Odds
Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan II

A heated bantamweight rivalry has been brewing for years between current champion Aljamain Sterling and interim champion Petr Yan.

The two crossed paths for the first time at UFC 259 where Petr Yan was disqualified for throwing an illegal knee. Now, the two are booked once again to settle the score once and for all at UFC 273 this weekend.

Both guys are well rounded and know how to push the pace. This is should be a great fight, as the first was up until the DQ.

UFC 273: Sterling vs. Yan II Odds

In early March the betting line opened with Sterling priced at +275 (bet $100 to win $275) and the challenger as the favorite at odds -350 (bet $350 to win $100).

UFC 273: Sterling vs. Yan II Odds Comparison

Bettors have plenty of options to bet on the title-unification bout and rematch between Sterling and Yan. You can compare the odds at three of the most popular betting operators in the United States.

UFC 273: Sterling vs. Yan II Deep Dive

In spite of both fighters involved in this matchup being fairly well rounded, there is a clash of styles at play. Just as we saw in the first bout, Sterling will be looking to get this fight to the mat and lock in a submission. Yan is more content on staying on the feet and striking it out with Sterling.

Who can implement their will - and what does the metrics tell us?

Aljamain Sterling

• Age: 32
• Height: 5'7"
• Weight: 135 lbs
• Record: 20-3 (12-3 UFC)

Aljamain Sterling is a well-rounded fighter, however his biggest strength lies in his submission-oriented grappling game. Eight (40%) of Sterling's 20 MMA wins have come by way of submission. In the UFC Sterling has been more content with going the distance and winning decisions, evident by the fact that six (50%) of his 12 UFC wins have come by way of decision.

Sterling has evolved his striking game throughout his UFC tenure quite a bit and uses his long reach to keep a range on his opponents.

Petr Yan

• Age: 29
• Height: 5'7"
• Weight: 135 lbs
• Record: 16-2 (8-1 UFC)

The term 'well rounded' gets thrown around often, but when it comes to Petr Yan it may be more descriptive than with any other fighter.

Yan's claim to fame is his striking, however unbeknownst to most, his wrestling is actually very impressive too. In his fight against Aljamain Sterling he was actually the one taking down Sterling and controlling the fight on the mat. Although his submission grappling might not be as good as someone like Sterling, he is extremely well-versed in fighting on the mat, defensively as well as offensively.

UFC 273: Sterling vs. Yan II Prediction

The first fight saw Sterling push a high pace early and Yan coming on strong in the later rounds. Before the illegal knee the tides were looking very much in Yan's favor, as he was outstriking Sterling and doing far more damage. Will this fight be any different?

We've seen time and time again that Yan takes the first few rounds off to download data on his opponents. Then when his opponents start to fatigue he applies the pressure and marches forward with a high guard.

Sterling's striking is good, but he can't match Yan's output. Even in the early rounds of the first fight where Aljamain had the most success he was getting hurt and dropped by Yan.

Prior to the first fight the narrative was that Sterling's trump card was his grappling. If he could get the fight to the ground he'd have a change, we thought. That narrative was disproven in the first fight. Now I'm not so sure how Sterling actually wins this fight.

Yan also has his data already downloaded from the first fight meaning he might not have to start as slowly as he usually does this time out. Sterling seemingly had cardio issues and couldn't keep up with Yan in the first fight. He wasn't doing damage with his punches and Yan was far more efficient.

I think the writing is on the wall here. Sterling has very few paths to victory. He can always catch Yan with a lucky shot, but given the fact that he has won two fights via knockout in his entire MMA career I don't see the likelihood of that happening being particularly high.

Yan not only showed to be a far superior striker, he also proved to be the better grappler in the first fight, which is why I think this is a checkmate matchup.

Yan re-captures the title this weekend.

UFC 273 Prediction: Petr Yan (-450) via Knockout

UFC 273 Odds & Bouts

The UFC 273 card is expected to have up to 15 fights on tap for the Apr. 9 card in Jacksonville, Florida.

Main Card

• Featherweight Championship: Alexander Volkanovski (-700) vs. Chan Sung Jung (+500)
• Bantamweight Championship: Aljamain Sterling (+350) vs. Petr Yan (-450)
• Welterweight Bout: Gilbert Burns (+380) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (-500)
• Women's Strawweight Bout: Mackenzie Dern (-110) vs. Tecia Torres (-110)

Preliminary Card

• Welterweight Bout: Ian Garry (-350) vs. Darian Weeks (+275)
• Heavyweight Bout: Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-138) vs. Marcin Tybura (+110)
• Women's Bantamweight Bout: Aspen Ladd (+180) vs. Raquel Pennington (-220)
• Welterweight Bout: Mickey Gall (+170) vs. Mike Malott (-200)

Early Preliminary Card

• Lightweight Bout: Mark Madsen (+110) vs. Vinc Pichel (-138)
• Heavyweight: Alexey Oleynik (-110) vs. Jared Vanderaa (-110)
• Middleweight Bout: Anthony Hernandez (-175) vs. Josh Fremd (+150)
• Women's Strawweight Bout: Piera Rodriguez (-125) vs. Kay Hansen (+100)
• Bantamweight Bout: Julio Arce (-200) vs. Daniel Santos (+170)

Bouts and Odds Subject to Change

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