Tag: Sports Odds

UFC 198 Odds Preview: Werdum, Souza, Cyborg Betting Favorites for Brazil Card

Second-ranked heavyweight contender Stipe Miocic (14-2) will try to take advantage of an opportunity to win the championship belt this Saturday at UFC 198 in Brazil that was created when former champ Cain Velasquez could not compete against current tit…

Second-ranked heavyweight contender Stipe Miocic (14-2) will try to take advantage of an opportunity to win the championship belt this Saturday at UFC 198 in Brazil that was created when former champ Cain Velasquez could not compete against current title holder Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1) in a rematch.

Betting odds at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark have moved in favor of the challenger Miocic, who opened as a +175 underdog (bet $100 to win $175) and was down to +135 as of Wednesday.

Werdum opened as a solid -225 favorite (bet $225 to win $100) and is only -155 now as he prepares to fight for the first time since upsetting No. 1 contender Velasquez via third-round guillotine choke submission at UFC 188 last June 13.

Velasquez was originally supposed to take on Werdum again in February, but a back injury prevented that from happening. Miocic then was announced as a replacement for Velasquez, although that title bout was later postponed with Werdum also pulling out due to injury.

Miocic earned the title shot with consecutive TKO wins versus top contenders Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovski over the past year. A former Golden Gloves boxer and collegiate baseball player, Miocic is viewed as one of the most dangerous strikers in the UFC and has backed that up with 10 knockouts among his 14 career wins.

The co-main event will feature a pair of Brazilian middleweights as No. 2 Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (22-4) takes on No. 3 Vitor Belfort (25-11). The winner could possibly get the next title shot at 185 pounds after champion Luke Rockhold battles Chris Weidman in a rematch at UFC 199 on June 4.

Souza is listed as a -310 favorite against Belfort, who is a +240 underdog despite coming off an impressive win.

Souza was on the wrong side of a controversial split-decision loss to Yoel Romero at UFC 194 on December 12, suffering his first setback in nine bouts. Romero later tested positive for the banned substance ibutamoren used in a supplement and was suspended six months after arbitration, although the fight result was not overturned.

Belfort earlier scored a first-round KO of Dan Henderson in his most recent bout on November 7, beating him for the second time in three fights. Sandwiched between those fights was a first-round TKO loss to Weidman for the middleweight title at UFC 187 last May 23.

And in another notable bout for this weekend, Cris Cyborg is a big -1200 favorite against Leslie Smith (+700). Cyborg will be making her UFC debut at UFC 198, and each of her last wins have come via knockout or technical knockout.

UFC 198 gets underway at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday night in Curitiba, Brazil. Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show, UFC president Dana White denied the organization is for sale as it prepares for a pair of big events with UFC 199 in Los Angeles on June 4 and UFC 200 in Las Vegas on July 9.

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UFC 196 Betting Lines: McGregor and Holm Looking to Cash as Odds Favorites

The UFC has big plans for champions Conor McGregor and Holly Holm in 2016, which is one of the reasons they will both be showcased as huge betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark on Saturday’s UFC 196 card in Las Vegas.
McGr…

The UFC has big plans for champions Conor McGregor and Holly Holm in 2016, which is one of the reasons they will both be showcased as huge betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark on Saturday’s UFC 196 card in Las Vegas.

McGregor (19-2), the new featherweight champ, was hoping to add the lightweight title to his belt collection until Rafael dos Anjos backed out due to a broken foot. Now, the brash Irishman will take on Nate Diaz (18-10) at welterweight in the main event as heavy minus-380 chalk (bet $380 to win $100).

Diaz was more than happy to get the opportunity to try to slow down the McGregor hype train, jumping at the chance despite fighting on short notice. The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner has been involved in several high-profile bouts in his career and is coming off a surprise win over Michael Johnson as an underdog December 19 at UFC on Fox 17.

Diaz scored an impressive unanimous-decision victory against Johnson to earn this shot against McGregor, and he is a plus-290 dog (bet $100 to win $290) this time around.

McGregor closed out 2015 by handing former featherweight champ Jose Aldo his first loss in more than 10 years via a 13-second knockout at UFC 194 one week earlier. That was his seventh consecutive victory since joining the UFC in 2013 and his sixth finish during that stretch in two rounds or less. He has not suffered a loss since 2010.

For Holm (10-0), her mammoth upset of previously undefeated women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey shocked the MMA world, as fans and bettors alike wondered how that could possibly happen. The former world champion boxer used her superior striking to KO Rousey in the second round at UFC 193 last November 15.

Second-ranked contender Miesha Tate (17-5) is her next opponent in the co-main event. Rousey continues to recover and hopes to return in the second half of the year.

Holm is a large minus-350 favorite against Tate, who is a plus-265 dog, according to oddsmakers, and currently the second-ranked contender behind Rousey. Tate was originally bypassed as the previous top contender to set up the Holm-Rousey matchup, and she will look to prevent the rematch from happening by pulling off an upset of her own.

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UFC Fight Night Hendricks vs. Thompson Betting Odds, Analysis, Preview

Instead of what was supposed to be a blockbuster Super Bowl pay-per-view card featuring a heavyweight title rematch between current champion Fabricio Werdum and former champ Cain Velasquez, MMA bettors will have to settle for UFC Fight Night 82 this Sa…

Instead of what was supposed to be a blockbuster Super Bowl pay-per-view card featuring a heavyweight title rematch between current champion Fabricio Werdum and former champ Cain Velasquez, MMA bettors will have to settle for UFC Fight Night 82 this Saturday in Las Vegas instead.

The event will be headlined by a five-round welterweight bout between former title holder Johny Hendricks (17-3) and hot prospect Stephen Thompson (11-1), with the former a -230 favorite (bet $230 to win $100) over the latter at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Hendricks, the second-ranked contender at 170 pounds, has not fought in nearly 10 months, as he is coming off a unanimous-decision victory against Matt Brown at UFC 185 in March 2015. He was originally scheduled to take on No. 3 Tyron Woodley at UFC 192 last October but did not make weight, so that fight was cancelled.

Ironically, Thompson’s lone loss came to Brown via UD at UFC 145 almost four years ago. Since then, he has won five bouts in a row, including a pair of knockouts of Robert Whittaker and Jake Ellenberger that earned Performance of the Night bonuses.

Hendricks will be the toughest foe yet for the eighth-ranked Thompson, who is a +180 underdog (bet $100 to win $180) and hopes to move into title contention with a victory.

The new co-main event is a heavyweight battle between Roy Nelson (20-12) and Jared Rosholt (14-2), who are both looking to move into the Top 10 with a win.

Nelson is a solid -165 favorite, despite losing three straight fights and five of his past six. Rosholt is a +135 underdog and has won his last three, including a UD victory versus Stefan Struve as a dog at UFC 193 last November. He was a moderate favorite in his previous two wins.

Bettors who would like action tying the UFC and Super Bowl 50 together may also be interested in a prop at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. You can wager on whether the number of rounds in the Hendricks-Thompson bout (-1/2) will be greater than the number of combined field goals between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.

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UFC 195 Odds: Lawler vs. Condit Matchup Sits as Pick ‘Em on Betting Lines

The UFC welterweight title will be on the line Saturday night in Las Vegas, when champion Robbie Lawler (26-10, 1 no-decision) battles No. 4 contender and former interim champ Carlos Condit (30-8) in the main event at UFC 195.
The UFC 195 betting line …

The UFC welterweight title will be on the line Saturday night in Las Vegas, when champion Robbie Lawler (26-10, 1 no-decision) battles No. 4 contender and former interim champ Carlos Condit (30-8) in the main event at UFC 195.

The UFC 195 betting line has moved in the challenger’s favor to a pick ’em after Lawler opened as a minus-145 favorite (bet $145 to win $100) over Condit, who was a plus-115 underdog (bet $100 to win $115).

Stylistically, this matchup looks to be Lawler’s toughest test to date. He has made only one previous title defense since taking the belt away from former champ Johny Hendricks after being awarded a split decision at UFC 181 a little more than a year ago.

Lawler bloodied top contender Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 back on July 11, scoring a fifth-round TKO win via punches for his fourth consecutive victory.

Condit made a successful return to the Octagon on May 30 at UFC Fight Night 67, forcing a doctor stoppage with a TKO of Thiago Alves in Brazil. The Natural Born Killer was coming off a disappointing TKO loss to Tyron Woodley when he suffered a torn ACL in the second round of their bout at UFC 171 on March 15, 2014.

Prior to that setback, he had dropped two of three both by unanimous decision in high-profile fights against Hendricks in a title eliminator at UFC 158 in March 2013 and against former champ Georges St-Pierre to unify the belts at UFC 154 in November 2012.

The co-main event at UFC 195 could very well produce the next challenger for the heavyweight title belt between No. 2 Andrei Arlovski (25-10, 1 no-decision) and No. 3 Stipe Miocic (13-2).

UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum is currently scheduled to face former champ Cain Velasquez in a rematch at UFC 196 on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas.

Arlovski, who is listed as a plus-175 underdog despite being the higher-ranked fighter, hopes to get the next title shot if he can extend his six-bout winning streak. His last four wins have taken place in the UFC following a detour in the World Series of Fighting.

Meanwhile, Miocic has won four of five, and he is a minus-225 favorite after opening at minus-250. His lone loss during that stretch came against former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos via unanimous decision following five rounds at UFC on Fox 13 on Dec. 13, 2014.

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UFC 194 Betting Preview: McGregor Odds Favorite Against Aldo in MMA Bout

Two title belts will be on the line Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with the main event of UFC 194 pitting interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor (18-2) against champ Jose Aldo (25-1) in a unification bout.
The two fig…

Two title belts will be on the line Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with the main event of UFC 194 pitting interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor (18-2) against champ Jose Aldo (25-1) in a unification bout.

The two fighters were originally supposed to meet at UFC 189 on July 11, but Aldo had to pull out due to a rib injury. McGregor was then given the opportunity to fight Chad Mendes for the interim title, and his impressive win earned him favorite status versus Aldo.

The betting line opened with McGregor as a solid minus-185 favorite (bet $185 to win $100), although the odds are now closer to a pick ’em.

Aldo has not lost in more than 10 years, winning 18 in a row, with most of his time split between the WEC and the UFC. He opened as a plus-150 underdog (bet $100 to win $150) and has seen bettors back him during fight week despite not entering the Octagon since October 25, 2014, when he earned a unanimous-decision victory against Mendes at UFC 179.

The other title fight on the UFC 194 card will take place in the co-main event, as unbeaten middleweight champ Chris Weidman (13-0) will face top contender Luke Rockhold (14-2).

Weidman will be defending his belt for the fourth time and for the first time since knocking out Vitor Belfort at UFC 187 on May 23. Rockhold, the former Strikeforce middleweight champ, has won four in a row after making a disappointing UFC debut more than four years ago in Brazil, where he got knocked out by Belfort.

Like the main event, early betting action has been on the underdog Rockhold, who opened at plus-135 but was down to plus-115 as of late Wednesday night. Weidman opened as the minus-165 favorite but has since fallen to minus-145.

Rockhold has earned four consecutive performance bonuses following his loss to Belfort, with three submissions and a TKO. Weidman has knocked out four of his previous five opponents, with three of those knockouts happening in the second round, including former middleweight champ Anderson Silva twice.

He upset Silva for the middleweight title at UFC 162 on July 6, 2013.

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UFC 193 Odds: Ronda Rousey, Joanna Jedrzejczyk Huge MMA Betting Favorites

It’s hard to believe there would be as big of a favorite on the same card as women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (12-0). But that will be the case on Saturday when Rousey takes on seventh-ranked contender Holly Holm (9-0) as a massiv…

It’s hard to believe there would be as big of a favorite on the same card as women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (12-0). But that will be the case on Saturday when Rousey takes on seventh-ranked contender Holly Holm (9-0) as a massive -2000 favorite (bet $2000 to win $100) at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.

While Rousey’s title fight against Holm is the main event at UFC 193, women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10-0) will also defend her belt as a -2000 favorite versus No. 9 Valerie Letourneau (8-3) in the co-main event.

This is the first time in UFC history that both women’s titles will be up for grabs on the same card.

Rousey has finished each of her MMA opponents so far, with 11 of the stoppages coming in the first round, including six in the UFC. Her last three bouts have lasted a combined 64 seconds, as she knocked out Alexis Davis and Bethe Correia by punches in a total of 50 and submitted Cat Zingano via armbar in 14.

Armbar has been her preferred method of finish, with nine of her foes submitted that way. Eight of her fights have also ended in less than one minute, with only one lasting more than one round.

Jedrzejczyk had hoped to face top contender Claudia Gadelha for the second time, but an injury prevented that from happening. Gadelha lost a split decision to Jedrzejczyk at UFC on Fox 13 last December 13, which earned the winner a title shot against Carla Esparza.

Jedrzejczyk scored a second-round TKO victory over Esparza at UFC 185 on March 14 to win the strawweight championship and then followed that up with a third-round TKO win over Jessica Penne at UFC Fight Night 69 on June 20.

In addition to the two women’s championship bouts, the UFC 193 main card includes two heavyweight fights and one middleweight matchup on the men’s side.

Stefan Struve (26-7) will open the main card by taking on Jared Rosholt (13-2) in the first heavyweight bout. Struve is a small -130 favorite against Rosholt, a +110 underdog.

Then middleweights Uriah Hall (12-5) and Robert Whittaker (14-4) will square off, with the former a -120 favorite over the latter, a +100 underdog.

In the second heavyweight fight, Mark Hunt (10-10-1) will face Antonio Silva (19-7-1) as a -250 favorite, with the dog worth +210.

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