UFC Shenzhen betting odds: Will Andrade vs. Zhang end early?

Susumu Nagao-USA TODAY Sports

Check out the betting odds for Saturday’s UFC Shenzhen card, where strawweight champ Jessica Andrade is favored over Weili Zhang in the main event.

It’s time for the world’s premiere MMA league to put on an event in Asia, more specifically China. UFC Shenzhen kicks off this Saturday, August 31, from Universiade Sports Centre. Bloody Elbow is here to hook it up with the betting lines!

The strawweight title will sway in the balance in the main event when queen Jessica Andrade meets China’s own Weili Zhang. The 20-6 defending champion is favored here and can be scooped up at around -185. The 19-1 challenger is sporting an underdog line and is available at +160.

Will Jessica Andrade vs. Weili Zhang end early?

The oddsmakers were suggesting that the UFC Shenzhen main event would see all five-rounds when they set the prop bet ‘Fight goes to decision’ at a favored line of -165. Going back the other way, ‘Fight doesn’t go to decision’ opened up with an underdog moneyline of +125. The betting public has made a different read for that specific prop, finding value in this one ending early. Now, it is both props that are sporting minus lines. ‘Fight goes to decision’ has dropped down to the -105 mark, with ‘Fight doesn’t go to decision’ now more favored at -135.

So, let’s take a quick look at the finishing ability of both main event fighters, as well as their ability to endure damage. The UFC’s strawweight champion Andrade is a powerhouse! Not only is she excellent at transferring her weight into her punches, but as we saw in her previous bout to claim the belt, she is beyond capable of scooping up her opposition and slamming them into oblivion. Andrade’s power is also prevalent in her squeeze. She has several wins on her record by way of Guillotine choke. Moral of the story, aside from a few decisions sprinkled here and there, Andrade is a likely finisher. Subtract the proven slamming ability, and the same exact attributes hold true for the challenger Weili Zhang. She might not pack as much power in her hands as the champ, but Zhang throws a lot more variety with her strike selection. Nonetheless, just like Andrade, scour her resume and you’ll find subs and KO’s alike.

So both main event athletes are killers. They can surely manifest a fight-ending sequence, but how well can they handle punishment? Well, Zhang has only lost once in her pro MMA career. She dropped a decision in her very first outing, but has since been perfect, so her durability remains a bit of a mystery. As for the champion, Andrade hasn’t been stopped with strikes since 2013, and hasn’t been submitted since 2015. Oh, all of those losses by way of finish happened at bantamweight. Now down two-whole weight classes at strawweight, the current champ has only lost to Joanna Jedrzejczyk. In that fight, she ate a ton of punches, but JJ still wasn’t able to put Andrade away. She is one tough cookie. Toughness, venom, gas tank, and sub-skills are among the greatest factors in a fight ending early. The durability of Zhang is an unknown here, as well as her gas tank in a five-round fight. These are some things to consider when talking about whether or not this fight will end early.

Check out the UFC Shenzhen betting odds, courtesy of OddsShark.com:

For an in-depth breakdown of each UFC Shenzhen matchup, check out The MMA Vivisection with Bloody Elbow’s own Zane Simon, and Connor Ruebusch. Be sure to subscribe to our Bloody Elbow Presents YouTube channel to stay up to date with all of our podcast content. Stay glued to Bloody Elbow for all of your event coverage including play-by-play, results, highlights, and more! Happy hunting!