The UFC’s schedule for 2017 got a whole lot bigger on Friday (May 12, 2017), as the organization announced some massive bouts at their Summer Kickoff press conference in Dallas, while using the same stage to hype several more upcoming contests. On Monday (May 15, 2017), MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting odds at Several Bookmakers for several of those bouts.
The biggest announcement of the bunch was that UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will be defending what was once Jon Jones’ belt, against Jon Jones at UFC 214 on July 29th in Anaheim, CA. While Cormier has certainly cemented himself as the top light heavyweight in the world in Jones’ absence(s), he is well aware – and Jones will continue to remind him, at every possible turn – that Jones is the one man he hasn’t been able to get past. On top of that, it is doubtful that any human being on the face of the Earth gets under Cormier’s skin more than Jones.
This marks the fifth time that Jones and Cormier have been scheduled to fight. Leg injuries caused two of those dates to fall through, Jones won a competitive-but-clear decision at UFC 182, and a failed drug test by Jones caused the cancellation of their intended UFC 200 showdown. Given Jones’ history outside of the cage, optimism that the fight will go through this time should be tempered, but based on his performances inside the Octagon, it should be a fantastic fight if it does come to fruition.
Another top-notch fight will take place in the UFC on FOX 25 main event in New York. Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman attempts to put a halt to his recent three-fight losing skid against Kelvin Gastelum, who has acquitted himself tremendously since being forced to move up from welterweight. While Gastelum’s official record only shows one win at middleweight (his March beatdown of Vitor Belfort has been overturned to a No-Contest, because Brazil), his performances against Tim Kennedy and Belfort have announced him as a threat in the division. Weidman hopes that he can use Gastelum’s momentum to launch himself back into title contention, as his last win came nearly two years ago (also against Belfort). Since then, he has suffered the only three losses of his career, to Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero and Gegard Mousasi.
The remaining lines opened today were for previously announced bouts, some of which also received a boost from Friday’s press conference. In particular, the June 25th main event between Kevin Lee and Michael Chiesa got some attention after a physical altercation between the two on-stage at the Summer Kickoff. Following a shocking defeat to Leonardo Santos, Lee has reeled off four straight victories, looking more impressive recently than ever. Chiesa’s last defeat was a cut stoppage against Joe Lauzon, and he’s responded with three straight wins, including surprising submissions of Beneil Dariush and Jim Miller.
Joining Lee and Chiesa in Oklahoma City on the 25th will be former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks and Tim Boetsch. Hendricks will be fighting at middleweight for the second time since deciding the cut to 170 pounds was too detrimental to his performances, but in taking on Boetsch he’ll be facing a former light heavyweight, which could prove a difficult task should this turn into something of a wrestling match.
The other events represented in the lines below include May 28th’s Stockholm card. The main event between Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira already has a betting line, but the co-main event between fellow light heavyweights Volkan Oezdemir and Misha Cirkunov was just opened.
The international portion of the schedule continues with events in Australia and Singapore. UFC Fight Night 110 will take place in Auckland, New Zealand on June 10th, and it features a main event between Kiwi Mark Hunt and Derrick Lewis, while Aussie Dan Kelly takes on Derek Brunson. Kelly’s 6-1 record in the UFC is finally earning him a jump up to a ranked opponent.
The Singapore card goes down a week after the Octagon stops in New Zealand, and it will be headlined by a women’s bantamweight bout between former champion Holly Holm and former title challenger Bethe Correia. That event also features former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski taking on rising contender Marcin Tybura.
Kalikas opened the betting lines for each of these bouts Monday at Several Bookmakers, but you can check them out below first:
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UFC Fight Night 109: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira
May 28, 2017
Ericsson Globe | Stockholm, Sweden
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Volkan Oezdemir +180
Misha Cirkunov -260
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Over 1.5 -140
Under 1.5 +100
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UFC Fight Night 110: Lewis vs. Hunt
June 10, 2017
Vector Arena | Auckland, New Zealand
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Mark Hunt +135
Derrick Lewis -175
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Over 1.5 -175
Under 1.5 +135
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Daniel Kelly +160
Derek Brunson -210
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Over 2.5 -140
Under 2.5 +100
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UFC Fight Night 111: Holm vs. Correia
June 17, 2017
Singapore Indoor Stadium | Kallang, Singapore
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Bethe Correia +250
Holly Holm -350
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Over 4.5 -140
Under 4.5 +100
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Andrei Arlovski +150
Marcin Tybura -190
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Over 1.5 -140
Under 1.5 +100
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UFC Fight Night 112: Chiesa vs. Lee
June 25, 2017
Chesapeake Energy Arena | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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Michael Chiesa -120
Kevin Lee -120
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Over 2.5 -135
Under 2.5 -105
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Tim Boetsch +175
Johny Hendricks -245
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Over 2.5 -165
Under 2.5 +125
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UFC on FOX 25: Weidman vs. Gastelum
JULY 22, 2017
NYCB LIVE | Uniondale, New York
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Kelvin Gastelum -105
Chris Weidman -135
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Over 2.5 -190
Under 2.5 +150
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UFC 214
JULY 29, 2017
Honda Center | Anaheim, California
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Light Heavyweight Title:
Daniel Cormier +220
Jon Jones -280
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Over 4.5 -140
Under 4.5 +100
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Click below to bet the fights now!
