Dana White’s Contender Series takes place Tuesday, July 9 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
Dana White’s Contender Series 19 Opening Odds
Joseph Solecki -145
Jesse Wallace +125
Kenneth Bergh -250
Antonio Trocoli +210
Hunter Azure -600
Chris Ocon +400
Maki Pitolo -250
Justin Sumter +210
Jacob Rosales -200
Jonathan Pearce +170
And here are my initial thoughts on the Dana White’s Contender Series 19 Opening Odds:
- In lightweight action, Solecki (7-2) meets Wallace (9-2). The 25-year-old Solecki has won two straight fights and overall six of his seven pro victories have come by way of submission. He has mostly competed in the CFFC and Ring of Combat organizations. The 26-year-old Wallace has won four straight fights and all nine of his pro wins have come by submission. He has competed for both Bellator and LFA in the past. This looks like a pretty even matchup and at this point I would be tempted to take a shot on the dog Wallace give how much momentum he’s carrying into this fight.
- In light heavyweight action, Bergh (6-0) fights Trocoli (11-3). The 30-year-old Bergh is undefeated as a pro with notable wins over Brett McDermott and Norman Paraisy. He was a former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, losing by submission to Eric Spicely back in 2016. It’s worth noting he has not fought since 2017. The 28-year-old Trocoli is riding a two-fight win streak into the UFC after having lost three straight fights, including notable decision losses to Dhiego Lima and Jacob Volkmann in Legacy. It’s surprising Trocoli is even getting this shot in the UFC given that nasty losing skid wasn’t that long ago. Bergh is a clear favorite here, and for good reason.
- Bantamweight actions sees Azure (6-0) take on Ocon (4-0). The 27-year-old Azure is unbeaten as a pro with five of his six wins coming by stoppage. The MMA Lab product has fought his last three fights in LFA. The 23-year-old Ocon is unbeaten as a pro with three wins by stoppage. Both guys look like promising prospects, but Azure has more experience and as a result he enters this bout as the clear favorite, though the opening line was too high as it’s dropped considerably since then.
- In a middleweight bout we have Pitolo (11-4) against Sumter (7-2). The 28-year-old Pitolo is on a two-fight win streak including a win in Bellator his last time out. The 29-year-old Sumter is also coming off of a win in Bellator to bounce back from a TKO loss to Ian Heinisch on last season of the Contender Series. The majority of his wins have come by stoppage and he has fought a healthy level of competition. I actually favor Sumter in this fight, and since the opener the line has flipped and Sumter is now the favorite which seems correct to me after Pitolo opened as the favorite.
- And finally, a lightweight fight sees Rosales (11-4) take on Pearce (8-3). The 23-year-old Rosales has won four straight fights and has fought for the likes of Bellator and LFA. The 27-year-old Pearce has won four straight fights since suffering a nasty three-fight losing skid. All of his pro wins have come by stoppage, including numerous victories in Bellator. It’s another even fight between two solid prospects, so if anything maybe there’s some value on the dog Pearce as this looks like a very close fight on paper.
