UFC on ESPN+ 21 takes place Saturday, November 9 at CSKA Arena in Moscow, Russia. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
UFC on ESPN+ 21 Opening Odds
Zabit Magomedsharipov -270
Calvin Kattar +190
Alexander Volkov -175
Greg Hardy +150
Zelim Imadaev -265
Danny Roberts +185
Khadis Ibragimov -175
Ed Herman +135
Ramazan Emeev -135
Anthony Rocco Martin -105
Shamil Gamzatov -270
Klidson Abreu +190
Magomed Ankalaev -175
Dalcha Lungiambula +135
Rustam Khabilov -210
Sergey Khandozhko +160
Roman Kopylov -190
Karl Roberson +150
Abubakar Nurmagomedov -245
David Zawada +175
Jessica-Rose Clark -180
Pannie Kianzad +140
Roosevelt Roberts -165
Alexander Yakovlev +125
Grigorii Popov -230
Davey Grant +170
And here are my initial thoughts on the UFC on ESPN+ 21 Opening Odds:
- The main event between Magomedsharipov and Kattar is only scheduled for three rounds due to the short-notice nature of the fight being moved up the headlining slot. It’s going to be a very competitive fight between two of the featherweight division’s best. Magomedsharipov has been touted as a future champion for a while now and he’s looked great in the UFC with a 5-0 record. He’s won 13 straight fights overall and doesn’t appear to be slowing done anytime soon. That being said, Kattar has looked incredible as well. He’s 4-1 in the UFC with three knockout wins and appears to be rapidly improving. This is a much closer fight than the odds indicate, but considering the fight is in Russia you have to favor Magomedsharipov here.
- The co-main event is also a short-notice booking as Hardy stepped up to replace Junior dos Santos against Alexander Volkov. Hardy has been impressive in MMA so far and is 2-1, 1 NC in the UFC this year alone, but Volkov has 30 more pro fights of experience. You can’t discount experience in this sport, and even though Volkov was knocked out in his last fight by Derrick Lewis I’m not ready to write him off. I do think Hardy has a chance to win this fight, but the smart money is on Volkov getting his hand raised.
- Another interesting main card fight pits Emeev against Martin. Emeev is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC and is riding a seven-fight win streak, but he is still looking for his first finish in the Octagon. Martin, meanwhile, saw his four-fight win streak snapped in a close decision loss to Demian Maia. Emeev is the favorite here, but you shouldn’t count Martin out of this one.
- Going down the card, there’s an intriguing light heavyweight bout between Ankalaev and Lungiambula. Ankalaev has a 2-1 record in the UFC, but you can’t forget this is the same guy who tapped out to Paul Craig with one second left in his UFC debut. Lungiambula, meanwhile, is on a six-fight win streak and won his UFC debut by brutal knockout. I think the odds are a bit off in this one, and I tend to favor the underdog fighter from Africa.
- There are a number of fighters making their UFC debuts on the undercard. The Octagon jitters are real and some fighters who have great records on the regional scene may not look as good in their UFC debuts, so tread cautiously.
