The opening odds have been released for a few upcoming main event UFC title fights. Here are the opening odds courtes of the Euro and offshore sportsbook along with my initial thoughts on them:
UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2
Saturday, July 9 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois
Rafael Dos Anjos -190
Colby Covington +150
Initial thoughts: This is a great fight and I’m glad the UFC booked it for the interim title as this is a fight that deserves to be five rounds. Though I like Covington quite a bit, I think RDA is the more well-rounded fighter and he has looked absolutely amazing since moving up to welterweight. RDA is the far superior striker in this fight, has the better submissions, has the better cardio and is more proven in five-round fights. Covington has the superior wrestling but I’m not convinced he will be able to take RDA down consistently and anytime this fight remains on the feet RDA will have the edge. I agree with RDA being the favorite here, as I believe he holds numerous stylistic advantages in this bout.
UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier
Saturday, July 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Max Holloway -180
Brian Ortega +140
Initial thoughts: This is an amazing fight between the two best featherweights on the planet. Holloway has been on a tear with a 12-fight win streak, including back-to-back TKO wins over Jose Aldo, while Ortega is still undefeated in his MMA career and coming off of a massive KO win over Frankie Edgar. Obviously I agree that Holloway deserves a ton of respect as the champ and should be favored here, but I absolutely think Ortega is a live dog in this one. I’m curious to see how the line moves for this fight, but if Ortega becomes too big of a dog I might have to take him.
UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2
Saturday, August 4 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California
TJ Dillashaw -135
Cody Garbrandt -105
Initial thoughts: I took Dillashaw over Garbrandt back at UFC 217, and I don’t think much has changed for this rematch. I just feel like Dillashaw is the better mixed martial artist. I feel like his striking and wrestling are better and I feel like he has the superior cardio and chin. No doubt that Garbrandt is a good fighter, but there’s nothing to make me believe this rematch will end any differently than the pair’s first bout, when Dillashaw finished Garbrandt in brutal fashion. I definitely see value in Dillashaw at these opening odds.
