Saturday’s UFC 208 card will feature the first women’s featherweight title matchup, as Germaine de Randamie (6-3) is listed as a small -125 favorite (bet $125 to win $100) to claim the belt over former bantamweight champion Holly Holm (10-2), according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.
The main event between two of the most feared female strikers in MMA highlights a 12-bout card at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Some may be surprised to see de Randamie as the favorite against Holm, but the fighters are heading in opposite directions. De Randamie has won four of five at bantamweight, with her lone loss coming versus current 135-pound champion Amanda Nunes via first-round TKO (elbows) back on November 6, 2013.
The 32-year-old Dutch kickboxer has put together back-to-back TKO wins since falling to Nunes, earning Performance of the Night honors in her last victory against Anna Elmose at UFC Fight Night 87 on May 8 of last year.
Meanwhile, Holm, who is a +105 underdog (bet $100 to win $105), has dropped two straight after upsetting Ronda Rousey with a stunning second-round knockout of the former champ at UFC 193 more than a year ago in Sydney, Australia.
The 35-year-old former pro boxer suffered a loss via rear-naked choke to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 on March 5 last year to lose the belt. Then she was on the wrong side of a unanimous decision versus current No. 1 contender Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on FOX 20 on July 23.
This recent two-fight skid has made it easier for Holm to move up to 145 pounds. There were rumors that she might face Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino for the featherweight title, but a potential USADA doping violation for Cyborg ended that speculation.
In the co-main event, living legend Anderson “The Spider” Silva (33-8, 1 no-contest) will enter the Octagon for the 22nd time when he takes on Derek Brunson (16-4) in a key middleweight bout.
The 41-year-old Silva is a +125 underdog on the UFC 208 betting lines and has officially lost his last four fights, along with a no-contest after both he and opponent Nick Diaz tested positive for banned substances following their bout at UFC 183 two years ago.
Like de Randamie, Brunson is in better current form, and he is justified as a -155 favorite against the future UFC Hall of Famer. Despite coming off a first-round loss to Robert Whittaker on November 27 last year at UFC Fight Night 101 in Melbourne, Australia, Brunson is the eighth-ranked 185-pounder with a 7-2 mark in the UFC. He had won his previous five fights.
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