UFC Vegas 84: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 takes place on Saturday, January 13 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.
UFC Vegas 84 Odds
Magomed Ankalaev -550
Johnny Walker +420
Manel Kape -210
Matheus Nicolau +180
Gabriel Benitez -140
Jim Miller +120
Ricky Simon -225
Mario Bautista +190
Bruno Ferreira -175
Phil Hawes +150
Waldo Cortes-Acosta -440
Andrei Arlovski +330
Preston Parsons -150
Matthew Semelsberger +130
Marcus McGhee -375
Gaston Bolanos +310
Farid Basharat -300
Taylor Lapilus +250
Jean Silva -350
Westin Wilson +285
Tom Nolan -210
Nikolas Motta +180
Josh Van -250
Felipe Bunes +210
Here are my quick thoughts on the UFC Vegas 84 Opening Odds:
- The main event of UFC Vegas 84 is a five-round light heavyweight rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker. These two met back at UFC 294 last October but the fight ended with a No Contest after Ankalaev accidentally kneed Walker in the head as a downed opponent. Ankalaev is now looking to bounce back from that mistake with a win over Walker in this rematch, which would help get him back into title contention. As for Walker, he has been doing well lately and appears to be coming into his own as a contender. Ankalaev is the better fighter, though, and so it makes sense that he opened up as a betting favorite here.
- In the co-main event, we have another rematch, this time between flyweights Matheus Nicolau and Manel Kape. These two met several years ago and Nicolau won a close decision over Kape on the judges’ scorecards. Since that first fight, Kape has turned into one of the very best flyweights in the UFC, while Nicolau has been inconsistent. Even though Nicolau won the first fight, Kape opened up as the favorite in this rematch as he’s been the better MMA fighter as of late.
