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Makhachev opens as heavy favourite for next welterweight title defence after UFC 330 retention

Islam Makhachev retained his welterweight title at UFC 330 and is already installed as a -250 favourite against Carlos Prates for his next defence, with unbeaten Michael Morales also in contention. UFC 333 heads to Abu Dhabi on 24 October, headlined by Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev.

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Makhachev opens as heavy favourite for next welterweight title defence after UFC 330 retention
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Islam Makhachev retained his UFC welterweight title at UFC 330 with a hard-fought decision win over Ian Garry, and early odds for his next defence have already been released, with the Dagestani opening as a -250 favourite against Brazilian contender Carlos Prates (+210).

Unbeaten 170-pounder Michael Morales, who served as the backup fighter for Makhachev vs. Garry, is also in the running for the next title shot. Should that bout materialise, Makhachev opens as a -210 favourite against Morales (+180).

The next title defence is expected to take place at UFC 333, set for 24 October in Abu Dhabi. The card was announced during the UFC 330 broadcast and features two championship bouts.

In the main event, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski defends his 145-pound title against unbeaten Movsar Evloev. Volkanovski opened as a slight favourite at -130, with Evloev priced at +110.

The co-main event is a bantamweight trilogy between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili, with the championship on the line. Yan enters as a -170 favourite against Dvalishvili (+150). Their previous two meetings produced contrasting results: Dvalishvili dominated the first bout with his wrestling, while Yan delivered a technical masterclass in the rematch to claim the title.

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