Trent Reinsmith
- Date & Location: Saturday, April 9 @VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL
- Time: Early Prelims (6:15 p.m. ET), Prelims (8 p.m. ET), Main Card (10 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Early Prelims (UFC Fight Pass, ESPN+), Prelims (ESPN, ESPN+). Main Card (ESPN + pay-per-view)
The fourth UFC pay-per-view event of 2022 takes place on Saturday, April 9. After stops in Anaheim (UFC 270), Houston (UFC 271), and Las Vegas (UFC 272), the promotion heads back to Florida for UFC 273, which takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville. In the main event, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski faces Chan Sung Jung, who is better known as “The Korean Zombie.”
The co-main event is a title fight rematch. In that contest, Aljamain Sterling puts the bantamweight crown he won via disqualification up against the man who dropped the belt, Petr Yan. Sterling won the title when he was unable to continue after Yan landed an illegal knee.
Also on the ESPN+ streaming pay-per-view card is an important and anticipated welterweight bout between rising star Khamzat Chimaev and former title challenger Gilbert Burns.
Before we look at the main event of the UFC 273 PPV card, which streams on ESPN+, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find the best odds on all the UFC fights.
UFC 273 Main Event odds
| To Win UFC 273 Main Event |  |  |  |
| Alexander Volkanovski | -800 | -800 | -800 |
| Korean Zombie | +500 | +500 | +502 |
Volkanovski vs. Korean Zombie prediction and pick
To be blunt, the one hope that Chan Sung Jung, who is the No. 4 ranked fighter in the official UFC featherweight rankings, has against champion Alexander Volkanovski is if he catches champ by surprise. Volkanovski is the better all-around mixed martial artist. In addition to his fighting skills, Volkanovski is resilient and has one of the highest fight IQs in the UFC. His coaching staff, which features City Kickboxing’s Eugene Bareman, is also one of the best teams in MMA in preparing a game plan before a fight and adjusting to an opponent during a fight.
Jung is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC’s featherweight division and he will push Volkanovski, but, as the odds indicate, this fight is — on paper — a mismatch.
Pick: Volkanovski to beat Jung.
UFC 273 Co-Main Event odds
| To Win 273 Co-Main Event | | | |
| Petr Yan | -465 | -465 | -465 |
| Aljamain Sterling | +365 | +365 | +331 |
Sterling vs. Yan prediction and pick
Aljamain Sterling has not fought since he won the belt. He has been recovering from neck surgery since April 2021. Due to his time out of action, the UFC put an interim title in the mix. Petr Yan won that belt in October by defeating Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision.
Had Sterling and Yan had an immediate rematch after Yan’s DQ loss, Yan would have been the favorite to regain the 135-pound title. I believe he is better positioned to regain his title with the rematch being delayed. Yan has been in the gym and improving every day since his first fight with Sterling, the same can’t be said of Sterling.
Ahead of their first meeting, Sterling’s grappling was a worry for Yan. Yan had no issues with that part of Sterling’s game. Knowing that will allow the interim champ to be more aggressive in his striking and ground game. In short, Sterling is going to be in deep trouble in this rematch.
Pick: Yan to beat Sterling.
UFC 273 welterweight feature bout odds
| Fighters | | | |
| Gilbert Burns | +400 | +400 | +398 |
| Khamzat Chimaev | -550 | -550 | -585 |
Burns vs. Chimaev prediction and pick
Khamzat Chimaev is 4-0 in the UFC with four finishes and four post-fight bonuses. At UFC 273 he faces Gilbert Burns.
Chimaev deserves to be the favorite in this matchup, but the odds do not present much of a value. Burns is a live underdog in this scrap, and he could earn an upset victory. Chimaev has faced good competition in his UFC run, but as far as elite UFC fighters, this is the first time he has faced someone as dangerous and talented as Burns.
I’m picking Chimaev, but I’m not going to be surprised if Burns takes this one.
Pick: Chimaev to beat Burns.
See below a list of reliable sportsbooks and choose the best one for you.
