Israel Adesanya is no stranger to winning championship rematches, which may explain why Sportsbooks recently opened “The Last Stylebender” as the odds-on betting favorite for their proposed rematch, which seems to be a priority for UFC President Dana White.
The rest of the combat sports community … not so much.
Adesanya is currently listed at -120 (5/6) against +100 (1/1) for Sean Strickland, who captured a unanimous decision victory over the former kickboxer in the UFC 293 main event last weekend in Sydney, Australia, usurping the 185-pound throne in the process.
That’s according to BetOnline.ag.
By comparison, Strickland was a +475 (19/4) underdog heading into UFC 293 against -650 (2/13) for Adesanya. The Sportsbooks took a small loss on the Strickland moneyline, but won big on parlays, as 96 percent of them had Adesanya retaining his title.
No word on when or where Strickland will make his first title defense but he’s certainly not short on challengers. In addition to No. 1-ranked Dricus Du Plessis, Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa collide for a spot in the middleweight title chase at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
For much more on UFC 293 and the middleweight title picture click here and here.