UFC on ESPN 2 takes place Saturday, March 30 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
UFC on ESPN 2 Opening Odds
Edson Barboza -135
Justin Gaethje -105
David Branch -120
Jack Hermansson -120
Karolina Kowalkiewicz -135
Michelle Waterson -105
Josh Emmett -140
Michael Johnson +100
Kennedy Nzechukwu -215
Paul Craig +165
Sodiq Yusuff -135
Sheymon Moraes -105
Marina Rodriguez -335
Jessica Aguilar +245
Desmond Green -365
Ross Pearson +255
Kevin Aguilar -165
Enrique Barzola +125
Kevin Holland -265
Gerald Meerschaert +185
Ray Borg -405
Kyler Phillips +285
Sabina Mazo -175
Maryna Moroz +135
Alex Perez -185
Mark de la Rosa +145
And here are my initial thoughts on the UFC on ESPN 2 Opening Odds:
- The main event is a truly incredible fight between two of the most exciting and violent lightweights in the game in Barboza and Gaethje. Barboza is coming off of the 2018 “Beatdown of the Year” over Dan Hooker while Gaethje brutally knocked out James Vick to snap his two-fight losing skid. Both guys are amazing fighters and this fight should be a real treat for the fans. However, Barboza is the more technical fighter and considering how many damage Gaethje takes in his fights, the oddsmakers opened the Brazilian as a small favorite. It’s probably not worth betting on, though, and instead of betting on it, this seems like the classic fight to just sit back, watch, and enjoy.
- The co-main event is a competitive bout between Branch and Hermansson, but despite Branch holding a top-15 ranking the line was set as a Pick ’em. That’s because Branch was knocked out by Jared Cannonier in his last fight, while Hermansson finished Gerald Meerschaert. The fight could go either way, but based on his youth advantage I slightly lean towards the big Swede here.
- One dog who I have my eye on is Johnson, who takes on Emmett in what should be a fun fight between two talented featherweights. But Emmett is coming off of a layoff of over one year and had his face smashed in by Jeremy Stephens the last time we saw him, whereas Johnson is coming off of consecutive decision wins over Andre Fili and Artem Lobov. Give me Johnson at dog money here.
- Elsewhere on the card, some other favorites who should win are Green over Pearson and Holland over Meerschaert. I saw Green just grinding away at Pearson for a decision win, and the odds are not surprisingly overwhelmingly in his favor as most bettors will look to fade Peason. As for Meerschaert, I actually think he’s a solid fighter but I think all the upside here is with Holland, who I believe has a good chance to actually get a finish in this fight.
- Some of the other dogs who I am keeping my eye on are Moroz over Mazo, as she holds a significant edge in UFC experience, as well as Waterson over Kowalkiewicz, as I can never trust someone coming off such a brutal knockout loss like the Pole is. Overall, though, this looks like a card where the majority of bouts will see the favorites get their hands raised.
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