Opposing fighters have struggled to stay on their feet against third-ranked heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes (13-2). He averages a whopping 6.63 takedowns per 15 minutes, and he’s finished off his last two bouts before the end of the second round. He’ll look to keep that trend going when he takes on seventh-ranked Alexander Volkov (31-7) in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov at the Apex facility in Las Vegas on Saturday.

The main UFC Fight Night card gets underway at 8 p.m. ET. Blaydes’ only loss since July 2017 came against second-ranked Francis Ngannou. He is a -400 favorite (risk $400 to win $100), while Volkov is offered at +320 in the latest Blaydes vs. Volkov odds at William Hill. In the co-main event atop the UFC fight card, Shane Burgos (-135) takes on Josh Emmett (+115) in a matchup of top-10 featherweights. Before locking your UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov picks, make sure you see what SportsLine MMA expert Kyle Marley has to say. 

Marley won the first-ever “ToutMaster” UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and also appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and DFS shows. Over the past 16 months, $100 bettors who have followed Marley’s picks are up nearly $21,000. 

The accomplished MMA analyst has been red-hot as he has connected on 10 consecutive main-event winners, which includes a streak of five straight underdogs. Marley remained in the zone last week, when he told SportsLine members to back Cynthia Calvillo (-135) to get the best of Jessica Eye (+110) in the women’s flyweight main event. Marley reasoned that Calvillo’s superior ground game would allow her to control the action. That’s exactly what happened, as the flyweight newcomer used takedowns and grappling to dominate the fight and win a lopsided unanimous decision. Marley also predicted a win for Marvin Vettori (-200) against Karl Roberson (+175) in the middleweight co-main event. Anyone who has consistently followed Marley is way up. 

Now, with UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov fast approaching, Marley has carefully studied every matchup on the card, identified the best value in the UFC odds and released his MMA picks for every fight. Those selections are only available here. 

Blaydes vs. Volkov preview

Marley knows the 29-year-old Blaydes (13-2-1) is likely in line for a future title bout provided he keeps winning, though viable opponents are difficult to come by. He easily dispatched former titleholder Junior Dos Santos with a second-round knockout in January.

A win over Volkov (31-7) would be a strong addition to his resume, but it is far from a sure thing. The 31-year-old Russian has won seven of his last eight bouts while showing a daunting mix of power and grappling skills.

Volkov’s lone defeat in that span came to No. 4-ranked Derrick Lewis, who scored a knockout at 4:49 of the third round in their October 2018 bout after Volkov had controlled the action most of the way. He could potentially leapfrog Blaydes in the UFC rankings with an upset. You can see Marley’s full Volkov vs. Blaydes picks here.

Top UFC Fight Night predictions for June 20

We’ll reveal one of Marley’s UFC Fight Night selections here: He is backing Bobby Green (-230) to defeat Clay Guida (+195) via TKO. 

Green has a substantial striking edge. He averages 4.95 significant strikes per minute and lands them with a 49 percent accuracy rate. Guida, meanwhile, averages just 2.45 with 33 percent accuracy. Marley expects Guida to try to get this fight to the ground, but also believes Green is too tough to let that happen consistently. 

“Green is going to piece him up on the feet and stuff most takedowns,” Marley told SportsLine. “Even if Guida gets takedowns, Green is more likely to get back up than be submitted.”

How to make UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov picks

Marley also has strong picks for Blaydes vs. Volkov and every other bout on the UFC Fight Night card. He’s also backing one fighter “whose big edge is on the mat.” You can see those UFC fight card picks only at SportsLine. 

Who wins Blaydes vs. Volkov? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight on the UFC Fight Night card Saturday, all from the accomplished expert who’s up nearly $21,000 and has nailed 10 straight main events, and find out. 

UFC Fight Night odds (via William Hill US)

Curtis Blaydes (-400) vs. Alexander Volkov (+320)
Shane Burgos (-135) vs. Josh Emmett (+115)
Raquel Pennington (-140) vs. Marion Reneau (+120)
Belal Muhammad (-145) vs. Lyman Good (+125)
Roosevelt Roberts (-230) vs. Jim Miller (+195)
Bobby Green (-230) vs. Clay Guida (+195)
Matt Frevola (-115) vs. Frank Camacho (-105)
Oskar Piechota (-130) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (+110)
Brianna Van Buren (-200) vs. Tecia Torres (+175)
Gillian Robertson (-120) vs. Cortney Casey (+100)
Roxanne Modafferi (-120) vs. Lauren Murphy (+100)
Max Rohskopf (-155) vs. Austin Hubbard (+135)