When Anderson Silva steps into the octagon to face Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153, it will be one of the most lopsided main-event fights in terms of odds the UFC has ever seen.
According to the early line, which was released on Thursday morning, Silva will be a massive favorite. In fact, its the highest opening line ever for an Anderson Silva fight, oddsmaker Nick Kalikas told MMA Fighting.
Silva has been installed as a -1350 favorite, according to Kalikas of MMAOddsbreaker.com. That means that Silva is essentially a 93 percent favorite to win.
By comparison, Jon Jones was made a -925 favorite in an early line against Vitor Belfort at UFC 152.
Prior to this, Silva’s highest line was in another non-title fight, his July 2008 Fight Night bout against James Irvin, which he won in a 61-second knockout. In that fight, he opened at -600.
Some of the most lopsided UFC main event lines have ended in shockers. In 2010, B.J. Penn met Frankie Edgar as a -850 favorite and lost in a unanimous decision. Georges St-Pierre was an even more decisive favorite at UFC 69, taking opening line odds of -1000 into his welterweight title matchup with Matt Serra. Of course, Serra won by knockout in a shocking upset.
There have been more lopsided major bouts, however. According to MMA Fighting’s research, the highest odds found in a recent major event were -2500, which happened in two separate promotions. In February 2007, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou upset heavy favorite Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, while in a June 2010 Strikeforce event, Cris Cyborg easily handled underdog Jan Finney.
Bonnar (14-7) takes a three-fight win streak into the matchup, which is scheduled for three rounds in the light heavyweight division.
Silva (32-4) has never lost in the Octagon, taking a UFC record 15-fight win streak into UFC 153, which takes place on Oct. 13 from Rio.