Alistair Overeem Betting Underdog for Feb 6 Bout Against Alexander Volkov

Alistair Overeem will head to his next fight against Alexander Volkov looking to prove the oddsmakers wrong.

Overeem opened as the -125 betting favorite when the lines opened right before the end of 2020. But just a week later, the odds have moved to the Russian’s favor. According to online sportsbook BetOnline, “Reem” is now a +140 betting underdog with Volkov overtaking him as the odds on favorite at +160 as of the latest odds dated January 5, 2021.

A betting line that close though means that the odds could sway to the other side as fight night nears. So if the Demolition Man is you guy, then maybe now is the time to make the bet.

One Final Run

Overeem is one of the most accomplished strikers in the history of MMA. The Demolition Man is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, DREAM Heavyweight champion, and K-1 World Grand Prix champion. He is the only fighter to hold world titles in MMA and kickboxing at the same time. He has beaten former champions Andrei Arlovski, Frank Mir, Junior Dos Santos, Brock Lesnar, and Fabricio Werdum. Reem is currently the 5th ranked heavyweight in the UFC.

One final run pic.twitter.com/4aBjZPlS8S

— Alistair Overeem (@Alistairovereem) November 9, 2020

However, this future Hall of Famer is now 40 years old and at the tail end of his decorated MMA career. Last year, Overeem, acknowledged that he is in the “final run” of his mixed martial arts career but he wishes to accomplish the one thing that has eluded him in his legendary career: a UFC championship.

It looked like his quest was over in 2019 when Overeem lost to Jairzinho Rozenstruik in a fight that literally tore off his mouth. That loss culminated in a stretch where he won just twice during a five-bout period. However, Overeem bounced back in 2020 with back to back knockout wins over Walt Harris and Augusto Sakai to keep his dream alive.

Overeem’s “one final run” looks more like “one final loss” because if he loses to Volkov, that will most probably be it as far as winning the UFC heavyweight title goes. The division is stacked up with up and coming contenders and with Jon Jones entering the picture, there is no room for error for Overeem.

Looking for First Title Shot

Volkov himself is a well-versed fighter, having won the M-1 Global heavyweight title and Bellator heavyweight championship before heading to the UFC. The 32-year old Russian came close to getting a title shot in 2018 but a shocking knockout loss to Derrick Lewis derailed his bid to become UFC heavyweight champion.

THE BLACK BEAST

Derrick Lewis gets a shocking knockout with 11 seconds left vs. Alexander Volkov pic.twitter.com/sJ68WSrfUC

— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) October 7, 2018

Drago opened his UFC career with four straight wins before running into the Black Beast. Since that loss, however, he has won two out of his last three fights and is coming off a second-round TKO win over Walt Harris last October. Despite that, he’s just 2-2 over his last four bouts and a win over a Top 5 fighter like Overeem would put him back in the title hunt.

The Russian is currently ranked 6th in the UFC’s heavyweight division. He has an overall record of 32-8 with 21 knockouts and 8 wins via submission. Volkov owns notable wins over Blagoy Ivanov, Roy Nelson, Stefan Struve, Greg Hardy, and former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum. He was supposed to fight Overeem in 2019 but pulled out of the bout due to injury.

Unlike Overeem, this isn’t a do or die situation for Volkov who is still in his prime. However, given the influx of talent in the heavyweight division, now is the best time for him to state his claim for a title shot. A win over an elite talent like Overeem should push the Russian to the upper echelon of the division.