Dana White’s Contender Series takes place Tuesday, July 30 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 22 Opening Odds
Aleksa Camur -230
Fabio Cherant +170
Steven Nguyen -260
Aalon Cruz +180
Mariya Agapova -160
Tracy Cortez +120
Daniel Rodriguez -300
Rico Farrington +220
Michal Martinek -245
Rodrigo Nascimento +175
And here are my initial thoughts on the Dana White’s Contender Series 22 Opening Odds:
- The main event is a battle of undefeated light heavyweight prospects as Camur (4-0) takes on Cherant (4-0). The 23-year-old Camur has won all four of his fights by TKO since making his pro debut in 2017. The 24-year-old Cherant has also won all four of his pro fights by stoppage, but they were by submission. This is a striker vs. grappler fight and it’s going to be very interesting to see how it plays out. Both guys have been impressive so far in their young career, but both guys have fought a very low level of competition, so it’s hard to say how they will fare in the big show. I’d favor Camur as his competition has been slightly better, but this should be a fun fight to watch regardless and I’d expect someone to get finished either way.
- Next up is a featherweight bout between Nguyen (6-0) and Cruz (7-2). The 26-year-old Nguyen has won five of his six fights by stoppage since making his pro debut in 2016, although his level of competition has been low. The 29-year-old Cruz has been a pro since 2013 and is currently riding a three-fight win streak. He has fought a higher level of competition than Nguyen has, but Cruz has already shown holes in his game in his losses. As the undefeated fighter, it makes sense that Nguyen opened as the favorite here.
- Then it’s a women’s flyweight bout between Agapova (6-0) and Cortez (5-1). Agapova has won all six of her pro fights since making her debut in 2015 and she has experience fighting for Fight Nights and Brave CF. The 25-year-old Cortez has won five straight fights since losing her pro debut in 2017, and half of her fights have come in Invicta. Cortez has experience fighting on a bigger stage in Invicta, but Agapova has been more impressive so far. If anything, bet on this fight going the full three-round distance.
- The welterweights are at it as Rodriguez (8-1) takes on Farrington (7-2). The 32-year-old Rodriguez make his pro debut in 2015 and has since competed for organizations such as Bellator and Combate. He has actually fought a solid level of competition so far, and has a win over notable verteran Justin Baesman. The 30-year-old Farrington made his pro debut in 2014 and has won his last six fights in a row, including experience in Titan FC and Island Fights. He has a notable loss against UFC veteran Michael Graves. However, Farrington hasn’t fought since 2017. These are two of the most experienced fighters on this episode of Contender Series and this should be a good fight. Considering Farrington’s layoff, though, you have to lean towards Rodriguez here.
- And finally we have the heavyweights opening the card as Martinek (7-0) takes on Nascimento (6-0). Martinez made his pro debut in 2016 and has since finished everyone in his path on the Czech Republic regional scene. The 26-year-old Nascimento made his pro debut in 2012 and has finished everyone on his path on the Brazilian regional scene. However, he hasn’t fought since 2017 and that layoff obviously factors into these odds. Still, it’s a heavyweight fight, and considering the unknown of both of these fighters I would much rather take a shot here with the dog Nascimento considering the odds.
