Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has two pivotal heavyweight bouts scheduled for later this year and potentially early 2016. The UFC Heavyweight title will be on the line at a yet to be determined date, time and location as champion Fabricio Werdum defends his title against challenger and former champion Cain Velasquez. Werdum submitted Velasquez to unify the titles at UFC 188 this past June. Also having odds released is the heavyweight co-main event for UFC Fight Night 76 between current top contenders Stipe Miocic and Ben Rothwell. Here are MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas’ thoughts on the heavyweight title match-up:
“For their title unification bout in Mexico this past June, Cain Velasquez closed as a near 5-1 betting favorite over Fabricio Werdum. Cain was widely regarded as one of the most dominant heavyweights in UFC history. His well-rounded game of excellent grappling, wrestling and seemingly endless conditioning made him seem unstoppable. The lone knock on Velasquez has been how injury prone he’s been over the years, as he had not been able to stay healthy and defend his belt consistently. That all changed this past June, when Werdum showed up in tremendous shape and showcased significantly improved striking. Looking back at their last meeting, we shouldn’t be as surprised that Werdum was able to find so much success considering Velasquez’s lengthy time off. This time around, I’m expecting Velasquez to come in more prepared for Werdum’s stylistic problems and in better fight shape. I’m expecting a very competitive fight, but I still think Velasquez has to be a slight favorite due to public opinion and support. More people will be willing to lay a cheaper price on Velasquez assuming that we’ll see a better version of the former champ this time around.”
Kalikas opened the betting lines for the heavyweight title fight and the UFC Fight Night 76 co-main event today at Several Bookmakers. Check them out below: ——————– UFC Heavyweight Title: Date/Location TBA MoneyLine: Fabricio Werdum +130 Cain Velasquez -160 Total Rounds: Over 2.5 -155 Under 2.5 +115 —– UFC Fight Night 76: 2015.10.24 | Dublin, Ireland MoneyLine: Ben Rothwell +220 Stipe Miocic -300 Total Rounds: Over 2.5 -130 Under 2.5 -110 ————————- Click below to bet the fights now! 