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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Farah Hannoun

Alexander Volkanovski expects Charles Oliveira to ‘come swinging’ at UFC 289, sees value in TKO victory bet

Alexander Volkanovski thinks there’s money to be made off a Charles Oliveira finish at UFC 289.

Oliveira (33-9 MMA, 21-9 UFC) meets Beneil Dariush (22-4-1 MMA, 16-4-1 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

Oliveira is the record holder for most finishes in UFC history, as well as the most submission finishes. But if Oliveira scores a stoppage, Volkanovski sees it happening on the feet.

“Beneil is very well rounded,” Volkanovski said on his YouTube channel. “His style, and Charles’, is gonna make this a fun fight. I think this is gonna be a firefight. Beneil is the favorite, and he probably should be. We all know Charles can get the finish, submission and TKO. Submitting Dariush, I feel like, is gonna be hard. He’s pretty switched on, he’s a durable dude. He’s resilient.”

According to BetMGM, Oliveira is a +125 underdog, whereas Dariush is a -150 favorite. While Volkanovski doesn’t necessarily disagree with those odds, he sees value in an Oliveira TKO – even though he’s leaning toward a Dariush win.

“If I had to take a pick, probably the best value, go with Charles, going the TKO maybe,” Volkanovski said. “I can see that happening. I can see Beneil Dariush winning, as well. Beneil can even finish Charles, as well. So you might look at the value there because it’s not like he finishes a heap of fights, so maybe there’s value in Beneil getting a finish.

“My pick would be a Charles Oliveira TKO. Charles has something to prove. He wants that title back, and I think he’s gonna go out there and come swinging. He’s really going to look for that finish. … Very close fight, cannot wait. It’s pretty even. I’m almost 50-50 on it. I’d probably lean towards Beneil, but 50-50 and then the betting odds probably favor Charles. That’s why maybe leaning to him as a pick, leaning to Beneil for the win.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.

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