Dana White’s Contender Series 61 takes place on Tuesday, September 5 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 looks at the opening odds below.
Opening Odds For Dana White’s Contender Series 61
Bruno Lopes -500
Brendson Ribeiro +375
Serhiy Sidey -280
Ramon Taveras +220
Chad Hanekom -240
Dylan Budka +190
Kevin Vallejos -300
Jean Silva +240
Dione Barbosa -260
Rainn Guerrero +200
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds For Dana White’s Contender Series 61:
- The main event of DWCS 61 is a light heavyweight bout between Bruno Lopes and Brendson Ribeiro. Lopes is a perfect 11-0 as a pro and he won the vacant LFA light heavyweight title in his last fight. A pro since 2013, nine of Lopes’ 11 career wins have come by stoppage, indicating someone who is a finisher through and through. His opponent, Ribeiro, has been a pro since 2015 and this will be his 20th pro fight. However, while he has finished all 14 of his career victories, he has been finished in four of his five losses. Lopes is the better fighter who has never lost, and he opened up as a big favorite here for a reason and he should win this.
- Also on the card is a bantamweight match between Serhiy Sidey and Ramon Taveras. Sidey is a Canadian fighter who has been competing on the Canadian regional circuit since 2018, winning the majority of his fights via stoppage. That includes a knockout win over former UFC fighter Walel Watson earlier this year. As for Taveras, he has won his last four fights, including wins over former UFC fighter Martin Day. Although Sidey is the favorite here, I would take a long, hard look at Taveras as the dog here given his supreme ability to finish fights in MMA.
