The opening betting line for one of the biggest rematches in the history of MMA today opened at Several Bookmakers, and the line is sure to draw plenty of interest from sports bettors. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas has opened Anderson Silva as a -140 betting favorite (bet $140 to win $100), with the comeback on new UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman at +100 (bet $100 to win $100) for their rematch, which is rumored to take place Feb. 1, 2014 on Super Bowl Weekend in New Jersey. Here’s Kalikas’ quick thoughts on the opening line for the rematch: “The first time around I opened Anderson Silva -215. This time around the line is significantly lower but Anderson is still coming in as a slight betting favorite. I’m opening him at -140, with the comeback on Chris Weidman at +100. I have a feeling a lot of the general betting public will support Silva because they feel Weidman’s win was a fluke. But I think you can make the argument for Weidman actually coming in as a slight favorite, as stylistically he still matches up very well with Silva and now he has the confidence backing it up coming off that KO win. “As far as early line movement, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the initial action cause the line to climb a little bit on Anderson. Although, I have a feeling by fight day the numbers should come back near my opening line.” This is going to be one of the most interesting fights of 2014 and I believe the fight can go either way. Although there’s no doubt that Weidman was the better man at UFC 162, I believe that Silva did not fight to his true potential in that fight and if he actually takes Weidman seriously in the rematch he can definitely win the fight by knockout. At the same time, though, it seems like Silva is lacking in motivation these days and no one knows exactly where his head is at right now — especially after being brutally knocked out for the first time in his career — he’s definitely a risky bet. It will be interesting to see which way the public takes the line, but my initial instinct is this line stays close to where it opened, because ultimately I do believe it’s a Pick ’em fight with a slight edge to Silva and I think most bettors will agree with that sentiment. Mendes vs. Guida Line Released Additionally, the line for the upcoming featherweight matchup between Chad Mendes and Clay Guida at UFC 164 has opened at Several Bookmakers. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened Mendes as a -350 betting favorite (bet $350 to win $100), with the comeback on Clay Guida at +250 (bet $250 to win $100). “Behind Jose Aldo, Mendes seems to be the man to beat in the featherweight division and stylistically he’s a nightmare matchup for Guida, so I opened him at -350.” At this price, I believe Mendes is a good parlay key for UFC 164 as I don’t see Guida being able to consistently get the takedowns and, on the feet, Mendes should light him up. Then again, though, it wouldn’t shock me to see the public take the plus money on Guida, although I do believe that’s the wrong side in this particular matchup.
