ONE on TNT 1: Moraes vs. Johnson takes place on Wednesday, April 7 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. 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.
ONE on TNT 1 Odds
Demetrious Johnson -400
Adriano Moraes +300
Eddie Alvarez -150
Iuri Lapicus +120
Tyler McGuire -185
Raimond Magomedaliev +155
Oumar Kane -350
Mehdi Barghi +275
Here are my quick thoughts on the ONE on TNT 1 Opening Odds:
- The main event of ONE on TNT 1 sees former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (30-3-1) take on ONE flyweight champion Adriano Moares (19-3). Johnson earned this title shot after winning the ONE flyweight tournament (135lbs). He’s won all three of his fights since leaving the UFC, and he has shown off his world-class grappling each time. In this fight, Johnson takes on a fellow grappler in Moraes, who has far more experience fighting in ONE. Moraes is actually a very underrated fighter and I feel he would do well in the UFC. Having said that, he’s taking on one of the best fighters of all time in Johnson. As slick as Moraes is on the ground, you can’t say he’s better than Johnson down there. Moraes will need to catch Johnson in a submission, otherwise, I see Johnson controlling where the fight takes place and winning a decision, or potentially even getting a stoppage given it’s a five-round title fight.
- Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez (30-7) takes on Iuri Lapicus (14-1) with the winner set to fight for the ONE lightweight belt later this year. Alvarez has gone 1-1 so far in ONE, getting knocked out by Timofey Nastyukhin and then finishing Eduardo Folyang via submission. Alvarez is 37 years old and appears to be slowing down some in his career, but he is still the deserved favorite here against Lapicus. Although Lapicus has a great record, he hasn’t fought a high level of competition, and most of his wins are by submission. I think if someone is going to beat Alvarez, it’s a striker. Expect “The Underground King” to roll here.
- In a middleweight bout, Tyler McGuire (12-1) takes on Raimond Magomedaliev (7-1). McGuire is a grinder and the majority of his fights see him pushing his opponents up against the fence and taking them down to the mat. It’s not a pretty style to watch, but it’s effective. Magomedaliev is the opposite as he is a first-round bulldozer who is always looking for the KO. However, I have questions about his cardio and wrestling. McGuire opened as the favorite but has since been bet down to dog money, and I believe there’s value on him at plus money.
- Finally, we have the heavyweights as Oumar Kane (2-0) takes on Mehdi Barghi (4-3). Kane, a former Senegalese wrestling star, has won both of his MMA fights via knockout and has mostly looked dominant. Barghi is an Iranian wrestler but has had far less success in MMA and is coming off of a first-round TKO loss. This one has a Kane first-round finish written all over it.
