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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight titleholder, Cain Velasquez, retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) last week to focus on his blossoming professional wrestling career, which recently planted roots in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
And for his first official match, Velasquez will rematch former UFC heavyweight champion and current WWE headliner Brock Lesnar in the upcoming “Crown Jewel” pay-per-view (PPV) main event on Oct. 31, held inside King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Velasquez opened as the -200 favorite for their Halloween hoedown, according to our fiscal friends at www.BetOnline.ag, with Lesnar pegged as the +150 underdog. The former already holds a win over the latter after a one-sided shellacking at UFC 121 back in late 2010, snapping a four-fight win streak for the now-42 year-old bruiser.
While professional wrestling is scripted entertainment with a predetermined finish, the sports books treat these sorts of attractions much like it does the Academy Awards; meaning, bettors can expect volatile odds, low limits, and a line that closes well in advance of the actual event.
It’s designed for the casual gambler, not money-grubbing professionals like this guy.
It should be noted that Lesnar closed as the odds-on betting favorite in his first six UFC fights, but then finished as the underdog in his final two appearances post-Velasquez. That doesn’t include his +225 line in the Daniel Cormier title fight that never happened.
For more UFC odds and betting lines click here.