UFC 248 takes place Saturday, March 7 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 248 Opening Odds
Israel Adesanya -200
Yoel Romero +160
Weili Zhang -130
Joanna Jedrzejczyk +100
Beneil Dariush -155
Drakkar Klose +125
Li Jingliang -270
Neil Magny +210
Alex Oliveira -215
Max Griffin +175
Sean O’Malley -350
Jose Quinonez +275
Mark Madsen -750
Austin Hubbard +450
Rodolfo Vieira -200
Saparkbek Safarov +160
Deron Winn -150
Gerald Meerschaert +130
Polyana Viana -125
Emily Whitmire -105
Jamall Emmers -165
Giga Chikadze +135
Danaa Batragel -140
Guido Cannetti +110
And here are my initial thoughts on the UFC 248 Opening Odds:
- This is going to be a great card, and it ends with an incredible middleweight title fight as Adesanya takes on Romero. Adesanya is fighting an elite level right now, going undefeated through his first seven UFC bouts and knocking out Robert Whittaker to capture the belt in his last fight. He looks like he’ll hold the belt for years to come, but Romero could have something to say about that. Romero has lost three of his last four fights, but MMA fans know how dangerous he is and he gets another shot to win the belt here. With all the hype on Adesanya it’s no surprise he’s a big favorite here, but don’t count Romero out of pulling off the upset.
- The co-main event should also be a really fun fight as the women’s 115lbs belt is on the line when Zhang takes on Jedrzejczyk. Zhang has won 20 straight fights including her last four in the UFC, while Jedrzejczyk is the former champ and returned to form in her last win against Michelle Waterson. Jedrzejczyk is a technical volume striker and will give Zhang a tough challenge, but Zhang winning her last 20 fights it’s hard to go against her here.
- One of the most evenly matched fights on the main card is a lightweight bout between Dariush and Klose. Both fighters are currently riding win streaks over solid opposition and both are fighting at a high level right now. Both men are looking to break through in the stacked UFC lightweight division, so a win this weekend is imperative for both.
- Also on the main card are a pair of welterweight bouts as Jingliang takes on Magny and Oliveira takes on Griffin. Both Jingliang and Oliveira are solid betting favorites, but considering the style matchups both dogs have the chance to bark here.
- Some of the favorites on the prelims who seem to have a good chance to win include O’Malley, Vieira, and Madsen. All three men opened as decent-sized favorites and since then the lines have remained somewhat wide on all three fighters. Vieira, in particular, has seen his line absolutely bust open as money has poured in on him here.
- As for dogs, Meerschaert seems to have multiple paths to victory over Winn considering his incredible edge in experience, not to mention his finishing ability on the feet and on the mat. Winn is a dominant wrestler, but Meerschaert can win fights in many different ways.
