With the New York Islanders departing Long Island for the swanky confines of the Barclays Center, the UFC is one of the few major sporting events that now graces the Nassau Coliseum. The Octagon will head there for the first time on Saturday night (July 22, 2017) for UFC on FOX 25, which pulls heavily from the New York area. That influence is felt across all four main card bouts, of which middleweight contenders Chris Weidman and Kelvin Gastelum will serve as main eventers.
Weidman (13-3) is desperately looking to regain traction in the 185-pound division, as he has dropped three straight bouts — all by TKO — since capturing the middleweight title and successfully defending it three times. His most recent defeat came with significant controversy, as the fight was halted for what were deemed illegal strikes and later stopped altogether when it was determined that the knees were legal. With Gegard Mousasi’s contract expiry and recent move to Bellator, Weidman won’t get a chance to avenge that defeat, so he’ll instead be tasked with Kelvin Gastelum.
A former TUF winner, Gastelum (14-2) is two extremely close split decisions from remaining undefeated, and likely still fighting in the welterweight division. However, weight-cutting issues have plagued the 25-year-old, and he has been forced to move up to middleweight. The move seems to agree with him, however, as Gastelum is now 3-0 with one No-Contest (the NC being a victory against Vitor Belfort overturned due to that dastardly PED, marijuana) at 185, he and has the makings of a legitimate contender. A win over a former champion in Weidman would only solidify those claims.
UFC on FOX 25 also features what promises to be a scrappy featherweight affair between Dennis Bermudez and Darren Elkins. Bermudez seems to have hit a wall in trying to crack the Top 5 at featherweight, dropping bouts against Chan Sung Jung, Jeremy Stephens and Ricardo Lamas within his last five contests. Meanwhile, Elkins just scored the biggest win of his career and extended his winning streak to four with a stunning comeback against Mirsad Bektic. While one of the most memorable moments of 2017 thus far, Elkins probably doesn’t want to replicate the first two rounds of that contest any time soon.
The remaining main card bouts see light heavyweights Patrick Cummins and Gian Villante square off, and the opening fight of the FOX portion should get things off to a fantastic start, as the streaking Jimmie Rivera takes on all-offense Thomas Almeida. The preliminary card has some bright spots as well, including the UFC debut of former University of Alabama linebacker (but this football player actually played, and did it well, for a good team) Eryk Anders, who has racked up an 8-0 record and recently captured the LFA middleweight title. However, Anders doesn’t face an easy debut in veteran Rafael Natal. Undefeated Shane Burgos also makes his third UFC appearance against the always entertaining Godofredo Pepey.
MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas previously opened the betting odds for the top three UFC on FOX 25 fights at Several Bookmakers, and today he completed the entire card. You can check out the full list of opening odds below…
UFC on FOX 25: Weidman vs. Gastelum
JULY 22, 2017
NYCB LIVE | Uniondale, New York
Main Card – (FOX, 8PM ET)
Chris Weidman -135
Kelvin Gastelum -105
Over 2.5 -190
Under 2.5 +150
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Darren Elkins +150
Dennis Bermudez -190
Over 2.5 -260
Under 2.5 +180
–
Patrick Cummins +110
Gian Villante -150
Over 1.5 -175
Under 1.5 +135
–
Thomas Almeida +100
Jimmie Rivera -140
Over 1.5 -175
Under 1.5 +135
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Preliminary Card – (FOX, 6PM ET)
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos +170
Lyman Good -230
Over 2.5 -155
Under 2.5 +115
–
Eryk Anders -125
Rafael Natal -115
Over 1.5 -185
Under 1.5 +145
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Alex Oliveira +175
Ryan LaFlare -245
Over 2.5 -185
Under 2.5 +145
–
Damian Grabowski +170
Chase Sherman -230
Over 1.5 +145
Under 1.5 -185
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Preliminary Card – (UFC Fight Pass, 4PM ET)
Kyle Bochniak +175
Jeremy Kennedy -245
Over 2.5 -245
Under 2.5 +175
–
Marlon Vera +150
Brian Kelleher -190
Over 2.5 -130
Under 2.5 -110
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Junior Albini +175
Timothy Johnson -245
Over 2.5 -140
Under 2.5 +100
–
Godofredo Pepey +220
Shane Burgos -300
Over 1.5 -145
Under 1.5 +105
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Frankie Perez +170
Chris Wade -230
Over 2.5 -230
Under 2.5 +170
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