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.
