Justin Gaethje (17-0) has been one of the top MMA prospects outside of the UFC since becoming the World Series of Fighting’s lightweight champion in January 2014.
Now the 28-year-old will finally get the opportunity to prove himself against elite competition when he faces fifth-ranked Michael Johnson (17-11) as a slight underdog at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark in the main event of Friday’s TUF 25 Finale.
Gaethje is a +130 underdog wager (bet $100 to win $130) against the favored Johnson, who is listed at -160 (bet $160 to win $100). This is just the second time the Arizona native has been a dog, and you have to go back to early 2013 versus Gesias Cavalcante in his WSOF debut to find the first.
Gaethje ended up scoring a first-round TKO of Cavalcante via doctor stoppage and finished nine of his 10 opponents in the organization overall.
Johnson made it to the finals of the TUF 12 lightweight tournament where he lost to Jonathan Brookins by unanimous decision on December 4, 2010. He has gone 9-6 in the UFC since then, dropping three of his last four to ranked foes, including No. 11 Beneil Dariush, No. 6 Nate Diaz and No. 1 Khabib Nurmagomedov (in that order).
Nurmagomedov submitted Johnson in the third round at UFC 205 on November 12. All of the top 155-pounders are looking for a title shot with champion Conor McGregor out.
The co-main event will feature the two finalists of the TUF 25 welterweight tournament, while another intriguing lightweight bout on the main card prior to that has two more undefeated fighters squaring off, as Marc Diakiese (12-0) takes on Drakkar Klose (8-0-1).
Diakiese is a big -270 favorite on The Ultimate Fighter betting lines with Klose a +210 underdog in his second UFC bout.
In his promotional debut, Klose won a unanimous decision over Devin Powell at UFC Fight Night 103 on January 15.
Meanwhile, Diakiese is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC with two knockouts. The former BAMMA champ is coming off a 30-second KO of Teemu Packalen that earned him a Performance of the Night bonus at UFC Fight Night 107.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com