Following another three-week break, the Octagon returns on May 13th for one of the most hotly anticipated events of the year. UFC 211 will be held in Dallas, Texas, and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation is about the only thing this card has going against it. Even the usual shenanigans from this commission shouldn’t be able to dampen a card headlined by a pair of title bouts and featuring some of MMA’s top contenders.
The main event of UFC 211 will see heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic attempt to join a very select group of fighters who have multiple successful title defenses in the division. In order to do so, he’ll have to overcome a man who was responsible for one of his two career losses in Junior dos Santos. The two previously faced each other in December of 2014, as dos Santos picked up a unanimous decision in an underrated 25-minute bout.
At that point in time, many expected that dos Santos was on the way out as an elite heavyweight. He had just suffered his second beatdown at the hands of Cain Velasquez and been felled by injuries as well. However, he looked his best on that night, overcoming some early success from Miocic to take the decision. For his part, Miocic was still rising up the heavyweight ranks, and that fight helped legitimize him as a contender.
The co-main event will see a fighter who is no stranger to successful title defenses, as another champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk attempts the fifth defense of her women’s strawweight belt. A victory would put her within one defense of Ronda Rousey’s record of six in the UFC women’s divisions. Her opponent could very well be the most dangerous challenge she’s ever faced though. Jessica Andrade has exhibited tremendous power in her short stint at strawweight after dropping down from bantamweight, with dominant wins over Joanne Calderwood, Jessica Penne and Angela Hill to earn her a title shot.
The rest of the main card could easily set up title matches in three additional divisions. Frankie Edgar is perpetually in contention in whichever division he chooses to compete in, and he will take on rapidly rising featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez in the biggest test of the young Mexican’s career. At welterweight, one of the smoothest strikers in MMA will face the most dominant grappler in the sport right now, as Jorge Masvidal hopes to put his takedown defense and boxing to good use against the vice that is Demian Maia. Finally, opening up the main card is a flyweight bout between former title contender Henry Cejudo and Sergio Pettis, who seems to be putting all his skills together to emerge as a contender himself.
The fireworks certainly don’t end there on UFC 211 either. The featured preliminary bout is worthy of 25 minutes on FOX Sports 1, as former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will battle explosive offensive fighter Dustin Poirier. The prelims will also showcase one of the emerging action fighters in the UFC, Jason Knight, who will have a very willing partner in Chas Skelly.
The last noteworthy bout will sees two-division WSOF champion of the world Dave Branch make his return to the Octagon against Krzysztof Jotko. Branch’s career has been interesting, as many felt he was unjustly cut from the UFC in the first place, but his stint in WSOF did more for his career than any of his UFC appearances prior had accomplished. While he should be deserving of the Dan Henderson treatment (immediate title shots in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions), a matchup with one of the few ranked middleweights under 30 will have to do for now.
MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas had previously released the odds for the main card and featured prelim fights, but today (May 4, 2017) he added the remaining lines for the massive 14-bout card that makes up UFC 211. Those odds can be bet at Several Bookmakers, and you can also take a peek at them below…
UFC 211: Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2
May 13, 2017
American Airlines Center | Dallas, Texas
Main Card – (PPV, 10 p.m. ET)
| Moneyline | Totals |
| Stipe Miocic -245 | Over 1.5 -190 |
| Junior dos Santos +175 | Under 1.5 +150 |
| Joanna Jedrzejczyk -165 | Over 3.5 -140 |
| Jessica Andrade +125 | Under 3.5 +100 |
| Demian Maia -175 | Over 1.5 -190 |
| Jorge Masvidal +135 | Under 1.5 +150 |
| Frankie Edgar -260 | Over 2.5 -215 |
| Yair Rodriguez +180 | Under 2.5 +165 |
| Henry Cejudo -230 | Over 2.5 -190 |
| Sergio Pettis +170 | Under 2.5 +150 |
Preliminary Card – (FX, 8 p.m. ET)
| Moneyline | Totals |
| Dustin Poirier -140 | Over 1.5 -190 |
| Eddie Alvarez +100 | Under 1.5 +150 |
| Chas Skelly -265 | Over 2.5 -185 |
| Jason Knight +185 | Under 2.5 +145 |
| Krzysztof Jotko -120 | Over 2.5 -190 |
| Dave Branch -120 | Under 2.5 +150 |
| James Vick -275 | Over 1.5 -155 |
| Marco Polo Reyes +195 | Under 1.5 +115 |
Preliminary Card – (UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET)
| Moneyline | Totals |
| Jessica Aguilar -180 | Over 2.5 -230 |
| Cortney Casey +140 | Under 2.5 +170 |
| Jared Gordon -150 | Over 2.5 -180 |
| Michel Quinones +110 | Under 2.5 +140 |
| Chase Sherman -120 | Over 1.5 -105 |
| Rashad Coulter -120 | Under 1.5 -135 |
| Gabriel Benitez -185 | Over 2.5 -180 |
| Enrique Barzola +145 | Under 2.5 +140 |
| Gadzhimurad Antigulov -260 | Over 1.5 -130 |
| Joachim Christensen +180 | Under 1.5 -110 |
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