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Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC on ESPN 11, which is set to hit UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend (Sat., June 20, 2020), including best bets, underdogs, favorites and much more!

While “Fight Island” is lurking on the horizon, UFC APEX still has plenty of mixed martial arts (MMA) action to deliver. This Saturday night’s (June 20, 2020) event on ESPN will see Curtis Blaydes take on Alexander Volkov in a clash of top Heavyweights, while Josh Emmett squares off with Shane Burgos in what could easily be “Fight of the Year” Featherweight fireworks.

Also on tap are Raquel Pennington vs. Marion Reneau and Belal Muhammad vs. Lyman Good.

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What Went Wrong at UFC on ESPN 10?

Anthony Ivy was…more than a little underwhelming, but everyone else did great. I am, however, kicking myself for not following through on my “oh God I’m in the red I need to fix this RIGHT NOW” plan of putting literally the entire remaining balance on Cynthia Calvillo. Oh, well; live and learn.

Undercard:

Bobby Green (-245) vs. Clay Guida (+205)

Brianna Van Buren (-190) vs. Tecia Torres (+165)

Oskar Piechota (-125) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (+105)

Gillian Robertson (-120) vs. Cortney Casey (EVEN)

Matt Frevola (-125) vs. Frank Camacho (+105)

Roxanne Modafferi (-120) vs. Lauren Murphy (EVEN)

Max Rohskopf (-185) vs. Austin Hubbard (+160)

Thoughts: The pick-‘ems look like the most fertile ground this week. I love the line on Gillian Robertson and there’s value in both Matt Frevola and Lauren Murphy.

Cortney Casey has been taken down at least once in seven of her last eight fights, resulting in a deeply underwhelming 39% defense rate. That’s more than a slight problem against Robertson, who not only averages almost 3.5 takedowns per 15 minutes but is a nightmare to deal with on the ground. “The Savage” did get tapped from guard by Mayra Bueno Silva and Casey has a couple of nice armbars to her credit, but the style matchup favors Robertson in a huge way.

Frank Camacho is oodles of fun to watch, but he’s far less than the sum of his parts. Solid power, jaw-dropping striking volume, and a killer ground game should make for more Octagon success than a controversial decision over Damien Brown and a TKO of Nick Hein, who insists on ignoring his judo in favor of trying to box with some of the division’s stubbiest arms. This sort of consistent underperformance has me favoring Frevola, who’s shown some quality takedown chops and quite a bit of toughness when not dealing with Polo Reyes’ insane power. “The Steamrolla” should outwrestle Camacho to a comfortable win.

I’m a fan of Roxanne Modafferi; I’ve seen her treated as a punchline in the past, but she’s a skilled grappler who’s found success against strong opposition despite a lack of physicality. That said, Murphy’s not an easy woman to control on the mat and figures to be the more powerful striker of the two. “The Happy Warrior’s” standup remains a weak link, one that even someone as limited as “Lucky” can exploit. At the very least, Murphy should be able to control the fight on the fence long enough to get the decision.

Main Card:

Curtis Blaydes (-390) vs. Alexander Volkov (+320)

Shane Burgos (-130) vs. Josh Emmett (+110)

Raquel Pennington (-165) vs. Marion Reneau (+145)

Belal Muhammad (-120) vs. Lyman Good (EVEN)

Roosevelt Roberts (-225) vs. Jim Miller (+185)

Thoughts: As someone who was slow to tab Roosevelt Roberts as a legitimate prospect, I like his odds here. Even if Jim Miller’s had some strong performances lately and is getting treatment for the Lyme disease that derailed his career, he’s still 36 and significantly weathered. He visibly slowed and struggled with the physically stronger Scott Holtzmann last time out and the far taller Roberts poses a similar threat, especially with his killer guillotine stymieing Miller’s wrestling. Roberts’ takedown defense has failed him in the past, notably against Vinc Pichel and almost disastrously against Alexander Yakovlev, but he’s got enough physical advantages here to make him worth a play.

Curtis Blaydes looks worth a look as well. Alexander Volkov has never been a great defensive wrestler; he managed to outlast Fabricio Werdum after getting taken down three times, but Blaydes is far less likely to gas and far more likely to do major damage with ground-and-pound while he’s on top. Use “Razor” to nudge a close line into the positives.

Best bets for UFC on ESPN 11:

Parlay-Gillian Robertson and Curtis Blaydes: $60 to make $78

Parlay-Matt Frevola and Roosevelt Roberts: $50 to make $80

Parlay-Lauren Murphy and Curtis Blaydes: $40 to make $75

There are some matchups here, like Emmett-Burgos and Muhammad-Good, that you absolutely do not want to miss. See you Saturday, Manaics.

Initial Investment For 2020: $300

Current Total: $309.64

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC on ESPN 11 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” that are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, then the main card portion that will also stream on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC on ESPN 11: “Blaydes vs. Volkov” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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Cody Garbrandt vs. Sean O’Malley? Not right now, says UFC president Dana White.

Bantamweights Sean O’Malley and Cody Garbrandt both scored highlight reel knockouts at UFC 250. The two have since engaged on a debate about who did it better, creating some rumblings of a potential matchup down the road.

UFC president Dana White, however, isn’t keen on making a fight happen, just yet.

“The problem is, you take a Sean O’ Malley,” White said on The Schmozone Podcast (transcript by MMA Mania). “First of all he has been off for a couple of years, young kid, just coming in, like where does he go from here? You got to give this kid a few more fights before he gets to Cody Garbrandt.

“If he fought and beat Cody Garbrandt, then he’d break into the top five, and very few people in their careers break into the top five.”

The 25-year-old O’Malley, who got into the UFC from Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, is currently undefeated with a 12-0 record. His last three bouts all earned him $50,000 performance bonuses.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Of Holly Holm’s 11 fights inside the Octagon, five of them have been title fights, one defense and four attempts at winning gold — two times at Bantamweight, and two times at Featherweight. Simply put, since winning the title in 2015 and then losing it months later, every other fight for Holm has been a shot at winning UFC gold.

And while there may be some chirping in the MMA world and on social media asking why “The Preacher’s Daughter” is always one win away from a title fight, Holly says there’s a reason.

“I’ve fallen short of getting that title back more than once, and it’s frustrating, but I know I keep fighting the very top-ranked girls, so I’m constantly right there,” Holm told MMA Junkie. “I’m still aching for it. I still want it. That’s a lot to say. Some people say, ‘Oh, I want the belt’ then they don’t really think about it. I know exactly how much work that takes to get there, and I know it took a big commitment.

“You’ve got to win fights along the way and when it comes, I can’t let the opportunity slip through my fingers again. Obviously it’s right there. I know people say, ‘Oh, she’s had plenty of title fights.’ There’s a reason: Because I keep fighting the best, and I keep staying right there. A lot of times I’m just one fight away. No matter what, I have Irene Aldana in front of me,” she added.

Indeed, Holm is set to face top-ranked contender Irene Aldana — who has won five of her last six — in the main even of an upcoming Fight Night card on Aug. 1. With a win, Holm believes another shot of adding a belt to her mantle is right around the corner. And for Holly, being numero uno is what its all about.

“It’s just knowing I’m No. 1,” Holm said. “It’s not necessarily the recognition to other people; it’s not trying to prove other people wrong. I worked so hard that I want to beat the best so that I can be the best. That’s it. When you have the belt on you, that means you beat the best, and that’s what I want. I want to be No. 1.”

Holm’s last attempt at reclaiming the 135-pound title saw her come up short against current women’s champ-champ, Amanda Nunes at UFC 239. And who knows, with a win over Aldana, Holly could very well get a rematch against “Lioness,” but at 145 pounds, assuming the promotion doesn’t award it to Megan Anderson…or Nunes doesn’t retire.

At the end of the day, if UFC keeps offering chances to win UFC gold, what is Holm supposed to say, “No thank you?”

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Top UFC middleweights Yoel Romero and Uriah Hall have apparently come to an agreement of fight sometime in August.

Number ten-ranked middleweight Uriah Hall was supposed to face Ronaldo Souza at UFC 249. That fight ended up falling through after “Jacare” tested positive for COVID-19 and was subsequently pulled off from the card.

“Prime Time” was in “phenomenal shape” for the Souza fight according to his coach Sayif Saud, who immediately called for a bout against Yoel Romero. It looks like the Hall camp will be getting their wish, as the UFC is supposedly booking both competitors for a fight in August.

ESPN first broke the news on Tuesday and was later confirmed by MMA Junkie, which reported that both Romero and Hall have already agreed.

The 35-year-old Hall is on a two-fight win streak. He last saw action in September against Antonio Carlos Junior, whom he defeated via split decision.

The 43-year-old Romero, meanwhile, is on a three-fight skid. He is fresh off a unanimous decision loss to reigning champion Israel Adesanya, whom he challenged at UFC 248 last March.

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

While there are several fighters retiring at the height of their careers, threatening to retire, or simply holding out for more cash, others are quick to swoop in and secure their UFC futures.

Among them is former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner, John Dodson, who recently inked a new five-fight contract with the Endeavor promotion, according to MMA Fighting. Dodson has been fighting for the promotion since 2011, bursting onto the scene by knocking out TJ Dillashaw at the TUF Finale nine years ago.

“The Magician” has racked up a 10-6 record so far inside the octagon, racking up huge wins over the likes of Pedro Munhoz, Jussier Formiga and the aforementioned Dillashaw. He did battle former Flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson, on two separate occasions for the division strap but ultimately came up short on both attempts.

Now competing in the highly-competitive Bantamweight division, Dodson was last seen knocking out Nathaniel Wood at UFC Fight Night 167 this past February in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

As far as who he could be facing next, that is still up in the air, though we have a nice suggestion of our own.