Undefeated middleweight phenom Bo Nickal recently set the record for opening as the biggest favorite in UFC history, securing a -2500 betting line against +1200 for underdog Valentine Woodburn. The 29 year-old Woodburn stepped in on just a few days notice to battle the wrestling deity when Nickal’s original opponent, Tresean Gore, was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Don’t expect Nickal to be humbled by the bloated betting line.
“I like being the favorite, I’m hopefully gonna continue to be the favorite for the rest of my career,” Nickal told reporters at the UFC 290 media day (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “It’s pretty crazy. [The betting line] makes sense to me. The math checks out. Great value. Hammer it.”
If you think -2500 is too high then “stick to your +25000 parlays and lose your money.”
Nickal and Woodburn are set to collide on the “Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez” pay-per-view (PPV) main card this Sat. night (July 8, 2023) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Woodburn was previously scheduled to compete on Dana White’s “Contender Series” at APEX but will instead jump right into the deep end against one of the division’s most formidable up-and-coming prospects.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 290 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard bouts on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
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