London is where the buzz is this weekend, MMA fans, as UFC Fight Night 204 is just five days away. With the event on March 19th, sports bettors cannot wait to see the fight between Dan Hooker and Arthur Allen. Furthermore, the main is Alexander Volvo (the older guard) facing young Brit Tom Aspinall. In this article, we have the best picks for UFC Fight Night 204, which may be a whale of a UFC card. The action takes place from the O2 Arena in picturesque London, England.
This main event features Alexander Volkov clashing against Tom Aspinall on Saturday. The Russian MMA artist is one of the top heavyweights in the division (#6 in the UFC). He drops in with a 34-9 record, 22 knockouts, and three submissions. Volkov comes off his last fight against Marcin Tybura. He won that by unanimous decision. Some experts believe that the Russian is showing some signs of age and fatigue.
As for Aspinall, the British MMA artist has won seven straight fights in all. His record is 11-2-0 in his career. On paper, these two may be on opposite sides of the career path. The last time Aspinall fought was in September of last year. The heavyweight brutalized Sergey Spivak. That fight ended late in Round 1 due to punishment via a wave of elbows and punches. Now, the odds are found from the top-tier UFC Vegas online betting sites and listed below:
| UFC Fight Night 204 Odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Volkov | -115 | -115 | -110 |
| Tom Aspinall | -115 | -115 | -110 |
| Arnold Allen | -115 | -105 | +100 |
| Dan Hooker | -115 | -125 | -120 |
| Paddy Pimblett | -405 | -400 | -425 |
| Rodrigo Vargas | +280 | +275 | +305 |
Now, Aspinall enters this battle with a chance to get closer to the top tier of the heavyweight division. Aspinall, at just 28 years old has come a long way from his BAMMA days. Think about it, he has four bouts at this level and is already ranked #11 in the heavyweight division. The British fighter has either won by TKO or submission in all of these bouts and none have gone more than two rounds.
Now, this fight rates as even for the UFC Wagering odds, while Volkov is a tiny favorite in a few books and so is Aspinall. This says it all when it comes to this fight at least according to wagering pundits. Is Volkov a bit out of shape? Some suggest he may be more than his listed 263 pounds at this point.
There is no disputing that this is Aspinall’s big chance to launch his UFC career. For Volkov’s part, he really is just looking for that first title shot. That will not be easy against an Aspinall who will have all of England rooting for him. Home turf plays a role here but so does his ability. He is far from a fluke or a hack here.
Volkov has looked better in his past few fights for what is worth. He did not look anywhere as shaky as he did against Derrick Lewis. The Russian ran out of gas as Lewis just kept up with his attack. It was surprising Volkov even lasted almost three rounds in that tussle. Few would believe he has won four of his last six fights heading into UFC Fight Night 204.
Now, will Aspinall get to fight Volkov remains the question? The hope is that he can. This would shape to be one hell of a bout. Furthermore the UFC 204 fight night best favorite, Aspinall has the look of a Ciryl Gane. This could be a nice stepping stone for a prospect who might grapple for a belt in a next 9-15 months.
So, Aspinall seeing his odds stay around even for March 19th, take the Brit to move one step closer to a Heavyweight Title Shot as he bests whomever stands in his way.
In one of the odder matchups err mashups on Saturday night, Arnold Allen will defeat Dan Hooker when they rumble. As most fans know, Allen is rising up in the featherweight class (#7 in the rankings). Hooker is coming to Allen’s weight class to make this fight. Also, the New Zealander is a .500 fighter (4-4) since 2018 with three of his last four bouts ending in defeat. That includes being demolished by Ismael Makhachev last October.
Even now, most are surprised that Allen is not more of a favorite here. That is not his fault but it also alludes to the respect given to “The Hangman”. Hooker may be four years old and coming to Allen’s weight class but he is dangerous. His blows can still take down anyone on any given Saturday.
This makes UFC Fight Night 204 even more exciting for fans and especially British fans to watch. Everyone knows how aggressive Allen will want to come out in front of the “home” crowd. This is all while Allen has won ten straight fights in all. As a matter of fact, the Brit has not lost since he jumped to the UFC in 2014. He is finally starting to get his due perhaps.
Among most Vegas and British pundits, this tilt leans ever so slightly to Hooker. However, Allen is currently even money +100 on Bovada. Allen expects to have some rust early and that may be the time for Hooker to strike. However, it will be Allen’s adrenaline that juices this fight up to an end. We’re siding with Allen as another UFC Fight Night 204 Pick. Take a look at some nice Vegas March Madness odds too and shop around.
Last Paddy Pimblett is getting a little headline love in London. The fighter makes his UFC debut on Saturday against Rodrigo Vargas.
Expect the Liverpool fighter even with the inflated odds to win by non-decision as he overwhelms Vargas.
