Assuming all goes swimmingly at the weigh-ins tonight in Perth, tomorrow night's card is going to be fantastic. That means it's time for Opinion Octagon's picks and locks for the night! As always, the odds you see are brought to you by DraftKings Sportsbook. The first fight we like is Tyson Pedro (-225) vs Modestas Bukauskas (+190). Pedro is a heavy favorite in front of his home crowd, yet if you bet him to win via KO/TKO/DQ (+165) it might be more bang for your buck. Pedro typically gets his wins via KO/TKO. You could place an Opinion Octagon lock on Pedro via KO/TKO/DQ. This fight is going to be the last prelim before the main event kicks off.
Justin Tafa (-130) seems like a lock as well over Parker Porter (+110) tomorrow in front of his home crowd. If you wanna spice things up as well you could take Tafa via KO/TKO/DQ (+150). Heavyweight bouts are known to be over in a blink of an eye, so it is honestly a really safe "dog" to take.
Jack Della Maddalena (-305) is another Australian favorite we like tomorrow night. His opponent, Randy Brown (+255) is no slouch and quite the dangerous fighter, but JDM is the real deal and the odds are like this for a reason. Jack is a sure-fired lock tomorrow night. Jack via KO/TKO/DQ (-125) might be worth it. Most of Jack's fights don't go the distance and he's not known for his submissions, Jack to win via KO/TKO/DQ is the pick to take in this fight.
Now for the co-main event. Opinion Octagon is taking Yair Rodriguez (-180) over Josh Emmett (+155). Another good bet here is taking under 4.5 rounds (+115) as Yair finishes the majority of his opponents whether it's via knockout or submission, Yair can do it all. However, Emmett is still a really tough opponent for anyone as he is really hard to finish. It should be a great fight, but I see Yair getting the finish before this fight ends.
As for the main event, we aren't taking anyone. It is impossible to bet against either Islam Makhachev (-380) or Alexander Volkanovski (+310). Both fighters are unstoppable. Makhachev is the heavy favorite, but Volk's undefeated. Neither fighter has ever faced an opponent like the other. However, both guys are extremely hard to finish. I don't see Volk going down easy if he loses. The same goes for Islam. Opinion Octagon has this fight going the distance (+130) and is also taking the winner by unanimous decision (+175). When Volk defeated Holloway all three times it was via decision. If Volk wins tomorrow night it's going to be a decision. It is faith in Volk that leads me to believe this fight will make it to the distance. Even if that means Makhachev just controls Volk for five rounds and can't finish him.
So there you have it. Tyson Pedro via KO/TKO/DQ (+165)*, Justin Tafa via KO/TKO/DQ (+150)*, Jack Della Maddalena via KO/TKO/DQ (-125)*, Yair Rodriguez ML (-180), Rodriguez vs Emmett under 4.5 rounds (+115), Islam vs Volk to go the distance (+130), and Islam vs Volk's winner to win via decision (+175).
*=Lock
It’s a lot to unpack on the post but some solid picks. Appreciate you sharing the odds as well.