UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya takes place on Saturday, March 6 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the event, and MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a look at the opening odds below.
UFC 259 Odds
Israel Adesanya -250
Jan Blachowicz +210
Petr Yan -145
Aljamain Sterling +125
Amanda Nunes -1000
Megan Anderson +700
Aleksandar Rakic -265
Thiago Santos +185
Tim Elliott -130
Jordan Espinosa +110
Dominick Cruz -115
Casey Kenney -105
Sean Brady -170
Jake Matthews +145
Joseph Benavidez -150
Askar Askarov +130
Aalon Cruz -125
Uros Medic +105
Islam Makhachev -400
Drew Dober +330
Song Yadong -190
Kyler Phillips +165
Kai Kara-France -205
Rogerio Bontorin +175
Mario Bautista -130
Trevin Jones +110
Livinha Souza -215
Amanda Lemos +165
Carlos Ulberg -172
Kennedy Nzechukwu +144
Here are my quick thoughts on the UFC 259 Opening Odds:
- Wow, what an amazing card this is going to be. 15 fights total including three title fights, I don’t think it gets any better than that. Of course, there have been a lot of last-minute matchup cancellations recently, so keep posted all week as the lineup for this card is sure to change.
- Taking a look at the card, the main event is obviously the big draw of the night as Israel Adesanya (20-0) takes on Jan Blachowicz (27-8) at 205lbs in his bid to become a two-division UFC champion. Adesanya was a perfect 9-0 while fighting as a middleweight before making this move up to 205lbs. “The Last Stylebender” always gets a lot of respect from the sportsbooks and that’s no different here as he opened up as the favorite despite being the challenger. As for Blachowicz, he’s the underdog yet again, which is familiar territory for the Pole. He’s won four straight fights, including three of those coming while as an underdog. In his last fight, Blachowicz KOed Dominick Reyes to win the UFC light heavyweight title, but he has a tough first title defense. However, as good as Adesanya is, Blachowicz has proven to be someone who is very difficult to bet against. He is absolutely a live dog here at UFC 259.
- The co-main event sees UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan (15-1) put his belt on the line against Aljamain Sterling (19-3). Yan won the vacant title from Jose Aldo in his last outing, while Sterling is coming off of a quick first-round finish over top contender Cory Sandhagen. This is a fantastic fight between two incredible bantamweights. Yan, the champion, opened as a slight favorite, but Sterling is being given tons of respect here from the sportsbooks.
- The other title fight sees Amanda Nunes (20-4) take on Megan Anderson (10-4). The odds feature Nunes as a massive favorite, and it’s hard to argue against it. Although Anderson is one of the best women’s featherweights, that isn’t saying much considering how shallow the division is. The odds are suggesting Nunes wins this fight inside the distance via stoppage.
- There’s a number of other great matchups on this card including Aleksandar Rakic vs. Thiago Santos and Casey Kenney vs. Dominick Cruz that are sure to be of interest to fans. As well, keep your eye on the prospect vs. prospect matchup between Uros Medic and Aalon Cruz.