It took a bit longer than expected, but the UFC’s blockbuster summer card is finally here. Well, almost. At this point, MMA fans should have learned to not count their chickens before they’ve hatched. Spirits seem high heading into UFC 214, however. Jon Jones hasn’t been arrested for anything recently, so it seems like he’s destined to meet Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight title that he never lost in the cage.
Back in January 2015, Jones became the only man to hand Cormier a defeat after a heated and extended build up to their first meeting. The journey to the rematch has been even more winding. First, Cormier was injured prior to their intended UFC 197 meeting, then Jones failed a drug test leading up to UFC 200, which saw him suspended for a year. The third time seems be a charm though, as the fight has held together to this point.
Beyond that incredible fight, UFC 214 has plenty to offer. After a pair of lackluster title defenses against Stephen Thompson, welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will face a much different challenge in Demian Maia. After being on the other side of a disinterested outing from Anderson Silva back at UFC 113, it has been a long road for Maia to his second UFC title shot. A move to welterweight — and several dominant performances courtesy of his otherworldly grappling — has seen him on the brink of a title shot for a couple of years now. After dispatching Carlos Condit and Jorge Masvidal in his last two fights, Maia could no longer be denied his shot at the belt.
The third title fight on UFC 214 is in the stacked UFC women’s featherweight division, and it features Invicta bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger moving up on short notice to take on Cris “Cyborg” Justino. With Germaine de Randamie vacating/being stripped of the belt after deciding that she didn’t want to fight Cyborg, the UFC was forced to find someone outside the promotion to take on the top female fighter in the world. Originally, that was supposed to be Invicta featherweight champ Megan Anderson (the only other real female featherweight on the UFC roster). An injury to Anderson forced them to dig even deeper and bring Evinger into the mix as an opponent.
The remaining main card bouts on July 29th are worthy of some attention in their own right. Former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler will have been out of the cage for one day short of a year when he steps in to face Donald Cerrone. This bout was originally scheduled for UFC 213 but postponed due to a blood infection suffered by Cerrone. The winner could very well be in the running to face the victor of the co-main event.
The Pay-Per-View opener between Jimi Manuwa and Volkan Oezdemir is surprisingly in a similar position in regards to the main event. Manuwa has steadily risen towards the top of the light heavyweight division with his 6-2 Octagon record. Meanwhile, Oezdemir has shocked everyone by jumping into title contention after being brought in to the UFC as a late replacement back in February.
All five of the main card bouts had lines previously posted at Several Bookmakers, as well as the FOX Sports 1 preliminary headliner between Ricardo Lamas and Jason Knight. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the remaining odds for UFC 214 today at Several Bookmakers. You can take a look at all of the openers below…
UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones 2
JULY 29, 2017
Honda Center | Anaheim, California
Main Card – (PPV 10PM ET)
UFC Light Heavweight Title:
Daniel Cormier +220
Jon Jones -280
Over 4.5 -140
Under 4.5 +100
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UFC Welterweight Title:
Demian Maia +135
Tyron Woodley -175
Over 2.5 -140
Under 2.5 +100
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UFC Women’s Featherweight Title:
Tonya Evinger +600
Cristiane Justino -1200
Over 1.5 +190
Under 1.5 -270
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Donald Cerrone +135
Robbie Lawler -175
Over 2.5 -120
Under 2.5 -120
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Volkan Oezdemir +150
Jimi Manuwa -190
Over 1.5 +115
Under 1.5 -155
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Preliminary Card – (FXX, 8PM ET)
Ricardo Lamas -110
Jason Knight -130
Over 2.5 -185
Under 2.5 +145
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140-pound Catchweight:
Renan Barao -130
Aljamain Sterling -110
Over 2.5 -265
Under 2.5 +185
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Brian Ortega +140
Renato Moicano -180
Over 2.5 -135
Under 2.5 -105
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Calvin Kattar +230
Andre Fili -310
Over 2.5 -135
Under 2.5 -105
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Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 6:30PM ET)
Kailin Curran +110
Alexandra Albu -150
Over 2.5 -130
Under 2.5 -110
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Eric Shelton +110
Jarred Brooks -150
Over 2.5 -270
Under 2.5 +190
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Josh Burkman +125
Drew Dober -165
Over 2.5 -130
Under 2.5 -110
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Click below to bet on the fights!
