UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno takes place on Saturday, December 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the event, and MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a look at the opening odds below.
UFC 256 Odds
Deiveson Figueiredo -275
Brandon Moreno +235
Tony Ferguson -130
Charles Oliveira +110
Rafael Fiziev -115
Renato Moicano -105
Kevin Holland -175
Ronaldo Souza +135
Ciryl Gane -270
Junior dos Santos +230
Cub Swanson -110
Daniel Pineda -110
Mackenzie Dern -156
Virna Jandiroba +129
Li Jingliang -256
Dwight Grant +205
Serghei Spivac -145
Jared Vanderaa +125
Chase Hooper -313
Peter Barrett +246
Billy Quarantillo -140
Gavin Tucker +120
Tecia Torres -450
Sam Hughes +350
Here are my initial thoughts on the UFC 256 Opening Odds:
- The main event of UFC 256 sees UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (19-1) taking on top contender Brandon Moreno (18-5-1). This fight was booked on super-short notice after both men recently fought at UFC 255 and finished Alex Perez and Brandon Royval, respectively. Figueiredo is currently riding a five-fight win streak and he has looked unstoppable against everyone in his way since losing to Jussier Formiga in March 2019. Since then, he has run through Perez, Joseph Benavidez twice, Tim Elliott, and Alexandre Pantoja. Right now, it’s hard to bet against the champion. Having said that, if anyone is going to beat him, it will be someone like Moreno, who is such a well-rounded fighter. Since returning to the UFC in 2019, Moreno is 3-0-1 and he’s coming off of three straight wins over Moreno, Formiga, and Kai-Kara France. The betting odds indicate that Figueiredo is a strong favorite to defend his belt, but Moreno is someone that you can’t completely ignore as an underdog.
- The co-main event is maybe the best fight on the whole card as Tony Ferguson (26-4) takes on Charles Oliveira (29-8, 1 NC). Ferguson is coming off of a surprising TKO loss to Justin Gaethje back at UFC 249, but overall he is 15-2 in the UFC and still one of the best lightweights in the world. The loss to Gaethje is certainly concerning since he was battered so badly in it, but you have to give Ferguson the benefit of the doubt. After rumored fights with Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler fell through, Ferguson now takes on Oliveira, who is making a run for the 155lbs title. Oliveira has been in the UFC for even longer than Ferguson and he’s never been hotter than he is right now. The Brazilian has won seven straight fights and he’s finished everyone in his path during that stretch. However, his level of competition hasn’t been anywhere close to Ferguson’s. This is a great fight and the close odds reflect it.
- Also on the main card, we have Kevin Holland (20-5) against Ronaldo Souza (26-8, 1 NC). Holland quickly recovered from COVID-19 to fight on this card, which will be his fifth fight since May. Holland has looked exceptional in his last four fights, finishing three of his opponents, but Souza is definitely a step up. Though he’s now 40 years old, Souza is still a very capable fighter as we saw in his last fight, when he lost a close split decision to Jan Blachowicz. Holland deserves his status as favorite here, but Souza certainly has ways to win this fight.
