UFC on ESPN 20: Chiesa vs. Magny takes place on Wednesday, January 20 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 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 on ESPN 20 Odds
Neil Magny -150
Michael Chiesa +130
Mounir Lazzez -115
Warlley Alves -115
Isaac Villanueva -150
Vinicius Moreira +130
Viviane Araujo -225
Roxanne Modafferi +190
Lerone Murphy -225
Douglas Silva de Andrade +190
Tyson Nam -135
Matt Schnell +105
Ricky Simon -285
Gaetano Pirrello +225
Su Mudaerji -265
Zarrukh Adashev +205
Dalcha Lungiambula -350
Markus Perez +260
Jerome Rivera -125
Francisco Figueiredo +105
Mike Davis -300
Mason Jones +250
Manon Fiorot -110
Victoria Leonardo -110
Tom Breese -140
Omari Akhmedov +120
Umar Nurmagomedov -625
Sergey Morozov +450
Here are my initial thoughts on the UFC on ESPN 20 Opening Odds:
- The main event for this card was originally set to feature Khamzat Chimaev vs. Leon Edwards, but after COVID-19 knocked that fight off the card, the UFC elevated Michael Chiesa (17-4) vs. Neil Magny (24-7) to the main event. Chiesa is a perfect 3-0 since moving up to 170lbs, with wins over Rafael dos Anjos, Diego Sanchez, and Carlos Condit. His grappling game has been utterly dominant in his new weight class, and his cardio has proven to be strong, as well. However, this will be his first five-round fight and it will be interesting to see how he looks the longer the fight goes. As for Magny, he’s proven himself to be a gatekeeper for years but now he wants to become a true contender. He’s won three straight fights over Robbie Lawler, Anthony Rocco Martin, and Li Jingliang and is itching at the opportunity to fight for the belt. This is a huge fight for two solid fighters, with Chiesa opening up as a small betting favorite.
- The co-main event should also be a good welterweight scrap as Mounir Lazzez (10-1) meets Warlley Alves (13-4). Lazzez had an excellent performance in his UFC debut as he dominated Abdul Razak Alhassan as a big underdog. He rides a three-fight win streak overall into this bout. As for Alves, the former TUF Brazil winner submitted Colby Covington back in 2015 to improve to 10-0, but ever since then, he’s really struggled to stay consistent, going 3-4. Alves has the finishing ability to stop anyone in the division, but it’s very hard to trust him at this point given his inability to rack up a winning streak. The odds opened as a Pick ’em, but early money has come in on Lazzez and he now sits comfortably as a 2-to-1 betting favorite.
- Another fight to keep your eye on is the preliminary card bantamweight bout between Jerome Rivera (10-3) and Francisco Figueiredo. If you recognize the last name, it’s because he’s the brother of UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (11-3-1). A Contender Series veteran, Rivera made his UFC debut against Tyson Nam last fall and was knocked out in devastating fashion That could spell trouble here against Figueiredo, who has won two of his last three fights by knockout. I’m surprised to see Figueiredo open as the dog here and see some value.
