Dana White’s Contender Series takes place Tuesday, July 23 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 21 Opening Odds
Terrance McKinney -275
Sean Woodson +235
Ramazan Kuramagomedov -450
Jordan Williams +350
JJ Okanovich -130
Christian Lohsen -110
Jamahal Hill -240
Alexander Poppeck +205
Kamuela Kirk -225
Billy Quarantillo +190
And here are my initial thoughts on the Dana White’s Contender Series 21 Opening Odds:
- The main event sees featherweight prospects McKinney (7-1) and Woodson (5-0) go at it. The 24-year McKinney has been fighting as a pro since 2017, and all seven of his wins have come by way of stoppage. His lone loss was due to a leg injury. He is a teammate of Michael Chiesa at Sikjitsu. The 27-year-old Woodson is unbeaten as a pro since making his debut in 2016, with all of his fights coming in RFA and Shamrock FC. However, his level of competition has been poor, and his last three wins have come by decision. McKinney has fought tougher competition and has been finishing them, and that’s why he’s a clear favorite in this fight.
- We then have middleweight bout between Kuramagomedov (5-0) and Williams (8-2). The Russian-based Kuramagomedov has won all five of his pro fights while competing in both ACB and PFL. The 28-year-old Williams has won three straight fights including two straight knockout wins in Bellator. Notably, he’s fought UFC welterweight Dwight Grant and was knocked out by him. Williams finishes fights but his level of competition has been low. Considering Kuramagomedov’s undefeated pedigree, it’s not surprising to see him as such a big favorite.
- It’s then time for a lightweight bout between Okanovich (6-1) and Lohsen (7-1). The 28-year-old Okanovich has won six straight fights since losing his MMA debut back in 2015, with his last four wins coming in Bellator. The member of American Kickboxing Academy has not fought in over a year now, which is something to keep in mind. The 24-year-old Lohsen has won his last three fights by submission while competing in Island Fights. Tough one to call here as both men have fought really low-level competition. But given the standout gym Okanovich trains at, you can see why he opened as a slight favorite.
- The light heavyweights then go at it as Hill (5-0) takes on Poppeck (9-2). The 28-year-old Hill has won all five of his pro fights including a notable win over current UFC fighter Dequan Townsend. The 27-year-old Poppeck fights out of Germany and just picked up a split decision win in Titan FC in his last fight. But overall he’s just 2-2 in his last four fights, including a submission loss to former UFC fighter Rob Wilkinson. The fact Poppeck has two recent losses hurts him here and is the reason why the books are favoring Hill to keep his unbeaten record intact.
- Finally, the featherweights kick off the card as Kirk (9-2) takes on Quarantillo (11-2). The 25-year-old Kirk has won three straight fights including a notable submission win over Kevin Croom in LFA his last time out. The 30-year-old Quarantillo is coming off of four straight wins and he holds a notable victory over former UFC fighter Marc Stevens. Quarantillo was a cast member on TUF 22 back in 2015 but lost to Saul Rogers on the show. This should be a good fight, but of all the fights on the card this is the one where I’m looking at the dog the most as I think Quarantillo has a decent shot of pulling off the upset. He already has some UFC experience while fighting on TUF and that should help him here on the Contender Series.
