Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) took mixed martial arts (MMA) fans by surprise with its UFC 238 fight card announcement last week, featuring Tony Ferguson vs. Donald Cerrone for the right to be called lightweight No. 1 contender.
UFC booked newly-crowned interim champion, Dustin Poirier, to fight reigning division champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, while “El Cucuy” — stripped of the substitute strap — was handling his recent personal issues (details here).
Expect the winner of Ferguson-Cerrone to fight the winner of Poirier-Nurmagomedov.
That well-publicized drama, coupled with his recent absence, hasn’t stopped Ferguson from opening as the odds-on betting favorite for the June 8 pay-per-view (PPV) in Chicago. He currently sits at -190 against “Cowboy,” the underdog at +165, according to BetOnline.
Ferguson (24-3) has won 11 straight fights with eight violent finishes, including last October’s technical knockout stoppage of Anthony Pettis at UFC 229. Cerrone (36-11, 1 NC), meanwhile, has been reborn at 155 pounds, capturing three straight and looking like a complete savage in the process.
So, now that you know the betting lines, who’s opening their wallet?