Opening Odds For Gane Vs. Volkov 2
![Opening Odds For Gane Vs. Volkov 2 Opening Odds For Gane Vs. Volkov 2](https://i1.wp.com/imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/66b4119697577932049ef86f/0x0.jpg?format=jpg&height=900&width=1600&fit=bounds&w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1)
Opponents Ciryl Gane of France and Alexander Volkov of Russia face off during the UFC weigh-in at … [+]
The UFC has announced the fights that will take place on the UFC 308 pay-per-view card. The fight card, which takes place on Saturday, October 26 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, in the United Arab Emirates, features a main event between UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria and former UFC 145-pound champ Max Holloway. Also on the card is a rematch between former interim UFC heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov.
The opening odds for the upcoming heavyweight contest have Gane listed as the -250 betting favorite over Volkov, who comes in as the +210 betting underdog, according to BetOnline.
Gane (12-2) joined the UFC in 2019 with three professional MMA bouts to his name. The French fighter opened his run with the UFC with three wins. Those victories put him inside the top 15 of the official UFC heavyweight rankings at No. 14. For his fourth UFC contest, Gane faced ex-heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos. He knocked out JDS in the second round.
Gane then picked up decision wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Volkov in 2021 to earn the No. 3 ranking and a matchup against the No. 2 ranked Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 265 in August 2021. The bout was for the interim title. Gane was ahead 20-18 on all three scorecards when he knocked out Lewis in Round 3.
In January 2022, Gane fell short of winning a title unification contest with Francis Ngannou, dropping a decision to the champ with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.
Gane bounced back from that loss with a knockout win over Tai Tuivasa in September 2022. That stoppage got him a matchup against former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones for the title Ngannou left vacant when he left the UFC as a free agent. Jones ran over Gane in that scrap, submitting him and winning the title at the 2:04 mark of Round 1.
Gane, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the official UFC heavyweight rankings, is coming off a September 2023 knockout win over Serghei Spivac.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 26: Ciryl Gane of France reacts after his unanimous-decision victory over … [+]
Volkov (38-10) joined the UFC in late 2016. At the time, he was 26-6 and had won and defended the M1 Global heavyweight title. Volkov opened his UFC career with a split decision win over Tim Johnson. That victory broke him into the top 10 of the division. When he faced Roy Nelson in his second UFC bout, Volkov was the No. 11 fighter in the division. He dispatched Nelson via decision and then earned victories over Stefan Struve and ex-UFC champ Fabricio Werdum. Those triumphs moved Volkov to No. 5 in the weight class and set up an October 2018 contest against Derrick Lewis. Lewis knocked out Volkov in the third round.
Things were up and down for Volkov over the next three years as he went 4-3 in the division. However, in June 2022, Volkov regained his footing. Since then he has picked up four straight wins with three of those victories coming by stoppage. Currently ranked No. 3 in the heavyweight division, Volkov is coming off a June 2024 decision win over Sergei Pavlovich in a contest where Volkov was the +180 betting underdog to Pavlovich, who was the -220 betting favorite.
It’s hard to determine what this fight will mean for the victor as the heavyweight division is currently in a state of limbo as champion Jon Jones is expected to face Stipe Miocic in November, and interim champ Tom Aspinall is coming off a July knockout win over Curtis Blaydes in defense of the interim crown. UFC CEO Dana White said he believes Miocic will retire with a win over Jones. Meanwhile, the UFC boss is unsure if Jones will face Aspinall in a title unification contest if he defeats Miocic.
Other fights announced for UFC 308 are:
Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Related Stories
UFC 308: Topuria Vs. Holloway Early Betting Odds
UFC 305: Early Betting Odds For Du Plessis Vs. Adesanya Fight Card
UFC 306: Early Betting Odds For O’Malley Vs. Dvalishvili Fight Card
Source link