UFC 246 takes place Saturday, January 18 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
UFC 246 Opening Odds
Conor McGregor -160
Donald Cerrone +130
Holly Holm -290
Raquel Pennington +230
Aleksei Oleinik -180
Maurice Greene +140
Claudia Gadelha -190
Alexa Grasso +150
Diego Ferreira -165
Anthony Pettis +135
Maycee Barber -400
Roxanne Modafferi +330
Sodiq Yusuff -195
Andre Fili +170
Nasrat Haqparast -335
Drew Dober +260
Grant Dawson -220
Chas Skelly +180
Justin Ledet -170
Aleksa Camur +140
Askar Askarov -200
Tim Elliott +160
Ode Osbourne -145
Brian Kelleher +115
JJ Aldrich -145
Sabina Mazo +115
And here are my initial thoughts on the UFC 246 Opening Odds:
- The main event should be a really fun fight between McGregor and Cerrone. McGregor hasn’t fought since he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018, and his last win was all the way back at UFC 205 in November 2016 against Eddie Alvarez. But he remains one of the most popular fighters in the sport and one who still owns massive knockout power in his fists. Cerrone is another fan favorite and has been far more active, fighting four times in 2019 alone. But his durability is a big question mark at this point in his career, and now he’s going up against a big puncher in McGregor. The fact this fight is at welterweight throws a wrench into things, but all things considered McGregor deserves his favorite status.
- I’m not too sure why Holm vs. Pennington 2 is the co-main event. The first fight between them in 2015 wasn’t anything special and neither fighter appears to be in peak form these days considering their recent performances. That being said, I still favor Holm a bit here. She did win the first fight, and on paper she should have a big striking advantage. But Pennington has surprised in the past, and it would be foolish to completely count her out here.
- Opening up the main card might be the best fight on the whole card between Ferreira and Pettis. Ferreira has shown massive improvements in his game in recent fights and trains at one of the best camps in the sport at Fortis MMA. Pettis has been one of the top fighters in MMA for the last decade but has been very inconsistent in his performances as of late. Even though Pettis is the bigger name, Ferreira is in better form and should win this fight.
- Heading down the prelims, the biggest favorite on the card is Barber, who takes on Modafferi in a prospect vs. veteran fight. Barber looks like the real deal and has performed extremely well in the UFC so far, but Modafferi has pulled off numerous upsets in the past. Most likely Barber will win this fight, but it will probably end up being the toughest test of her career.
- Another great fight sees featherweight strikers Fili and Yusuff go at it. Both men have looked fantastic in their last couple of fights and this could end up being the “Fight of the Night.” That being said, Yusuff has the higher ceiling as a prospect, and that’s why he’s favored here.
- Overall this should be a really good card and a great way to kick off the 2020 MMA season.
