UFC 254: Alexander Volkov v Walt Harris preview & picks

Alexander Volkov and Walt Harris are both coming into UFC 254 with a loss in their most recent fight. Both of these heavyweights will try to bounce back with a win this Saturday in this UFC 254 main card bout in Abu Dhabi. Below we have examined the Alexander Volkov v Walt Harris betting and given our free analysis and prediction.

(Betting odds via BETMGM Sportsbook)

Volkov (-172) v Harris (+147) preview

Alexander Volkov (31-8-0) entered the UFC with authority picking up four straight wins including  knockout wins over Stefan Struve in 2017 and Fabricio Werdum in 2018. Since then however, Volkov has failed to cash in on opportunities against top fighters in the division, losing two of his last three fights to Derrick Lewis at UFC 229 and to Curtis Blaydes in June at UFC on ESPN 11. The 6-foot-7 Russian will try to prevent his stock from falling further with a win against Walt Harris.

Harris (13-8-0) was on a roll in the heavyweight division with four straight wins (including one win that was later overturned after Harris tested positive for an illegal supplement. He had back-to-back first-round knockout wins over Sergey Spivak and Aleksei Oleinik in 2019 that both earned him Performance of the Night bonuses. But then personal tragedy struck in his life when his stepdaughter went missing in October of 2019 and was later found murdered in November.

Walt Harris made his return to the octagon in May of 2020 in a main event bout against Alistair Overeem, losing that bout via technical knockout in the first round. Emotions were running high before and after that fight, and the hope in Harris’s camp is that he’ll be able to produce a more controlled effort in this fight.

Volkov v Harris prediction

More: Betting picks for this weekend

This should be a really fun bout between two hard-hitting strikers. Volkov’s reach and stamina advantages make him the favorite in this one. But in a fight in which both fighters should be comfortable trading big blows early and often and all it takes is one to end the fight one way or the other, the odds aren’t too bad to take a shot on Harris pulling off the upset with a well-timed pop.