The eyes of the mixed martial arts (MMA) world will be on New York this weekend when the UFC stages a blockbuster card at Madison Square Garden.
Jack Della Maddalena will put the welterweight title on the line against Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 in match that is guaranteed to generate plenty of activity in the betting industry.
Punters who love sports betting in Missouri and across the rest of the world will be spoilt for choice, with bookmakers offering hundreds of different markets on the fight.
The UFC is hugely popular in Missouri, and sports bettors in the state will be clamouring to wager on the stacked card this weekend.
Intriguingly, Maddalena is rated as the outsider to retain the title, despite racking up 18 consecutive victories in the professional ranks.
Maddalena was in a similar position in his last outing against Belal Muhammad, but defied the odds to claim the welterweight title for the first time.
Head coach Ben Vickers insists that Maddalena will emerge victorious and says he has already set his sights on a future opponent.
“Make Jack the underdog forever,” Vickers said. “He’ll just keep on turning up to beat whoever you put in front of him. He’s been doing it for a decade.
“He’s just taken Belal Muhammad’s streak. Next, he’ll take Islam’s streak, then it will be Shavkat Rakhmonov’s streak. He’ll take them all.
“He won’t be disrespected. Yes, he is calm and collected, but he’s also a man who knows exactly who is, what he’s capable of, and the respect that should come with that.
“Of course, he’s never going to ask for it. But he will [demand it] with his performances.”
While Vickers is understandably bullish about Maddalena’s chances of victory this weekend, not everyone is on the same page.
Muhammad, who suffered a unanimous decision defeat against the Aussie at UFC 315, believes he will struggle to match Makhachev on the ground.
The 34-year-old was a dominant force in the lightweight ranks, and Muhammad thinks he will have no difficulty making his mark as a welterweight.
“If it hits the ground, for Islam, I think his top game is going to be really good,” Muhammad said. “He’s very smart, very controlled and doesn’t let you off the hook when you make a mistake.
“Jack makes mistakes on the ground – he has moments where he lapses safety. He’ll give up his back, he’ll give up his neck, he’ll give up an arm-triangle, and you can’t do that with Islam.
“Islam is going to see that, and he’s going to exploit it. I think if Islam comes out wrestling right away and forces that takedown right away, making Jack work, it’s going to be a long night for Jack.
“For myself, seeing him, being in there with him, he’s very smart. He’s good on the feet, he has good hands, he doesn’t give up on himself.”
Elsewhere on the card, Valentina Shevchenko will defend her women’s flyweight title in an eagerly-anticipated showdown with Zhang Weili.
Shevchenko is the marginal favourite with the bookmakers to retain the title, but Zhang will fancy her chances of dethroning the champion.
UFC 322 – Full card
- Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev (welterweight title)
- Valentina Shevchenko vs Zhang Weili (women’s flyweight title)
- Sean Brady vs Michael Morales (welterweight)
- Leon Edwards vs Carlos Prates (welterweight)
- Beneil Dariush vs Benoit Saint-Denis (lightweight)
- Bo Nickal vs Rodolfo Vieira (middleweight)
- Roman Kopylov vs Gregory Rodrigues (middleweight)
- Erin Blanchfield vs Tracy Cortez (women’s flyweight)
- Malcolm Wellmaker vs Cody Haddon (bantamweight)
- Kyle Daukaus vs Gerald Meerschaert (middleweight)
- Pat Sabatino vs Chepe Mariscal (featherweight)
- Angela Hill vs Fatima Kline (women’s strawweight)
- Baisangur Susurkaev vs Eric McConico (middleweight)
