Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series 12 takes place Tuesday, July 10 at the UFC Gym in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently released the opening odds for the card, and here they are.
Dana White’s Contender Series 12 Opening Odds
Kevin Aguilar -265
Joey Gomez +185
Bevon Lewis -180
Alton Cunningham +140
Ricardo Palacios -365
Toby Misech +255
Riley Dutro -275
Jordan Espionsa +195
Jalin Turner -280
Max Mustaki +200
And here are my reactions to the opening odds:
– The main event between Aguilar and Gomez should result in the winner being sent to the UFC. Aguilar (14-1) is the LFA featherweight champion. He has won six-straight fights since his lone career defeated to UFC veteran Leonard Garcia. This guy is a very dangerous fighter and will make a good addition to the UFC roster if he wins this bout. Gomez (7-0) is an undefeated prospect who has won the majority of his bouts by submission. He holds a notable win over Ray Cooper III, who just knocked out Jake Shields in PFL. I favor Aguilar due to his experience and level of competition, but at the same time, I wouldn’t completely count out Gomez in this one.
– The co-main event between undefeated prospects Lewis and Cunningham should be a good one. Lewis (5-0) was signed to a developmental deal with the UFC after winning on the Contender Series last year but he was sent to LFA to work on his game, and he did just that by wining his last bout there. Cunningham (5-0) is coming off of five-straight knockout wins to open his career. Both guys are really good prospects but I kind of favor Cunningham at a dog price as I believe this is closer to a pick ’em type of fight. The winner of this fight should have a good chance of getting a UFC contract, especially if they can get a finish in this fight.
– Palacios (9-1) is coming off of six-straight wins in Combate Americas and in his last two bouts defeated UFC veterans Chris Avila and Roman Salazar. Misech (10-5) has won four of his last five fights and in his last bout he won the Alaska FC bantamweight title. I think this matchup taking place at featherweight favors Palacios, who fought at lightweight in his last bout, and I think he gets the job done.
– Dutro (13-3) has won seven straight fights and has won his last four bouts by knockout, includng a KO win over former UFC figher Darren Uyenoyama in PXC. Espinosa (12-5) is coming off of three straight wins including a submission win on the first season of the Contender Series. These are two solid flyweight prospects but I have to go with Dutro due his experience and level of competition.
– Turner (6-3) is coming off of two straight wins including a knockout in Bellator in his last fight. Mustaki (6-2) picked up a knockout win in Island Fights in his last fight to bounce back from two straight losses. Both guys have some promise and potential but both guys are also beatable and seem hard to trust at this stage of their careers. Having said that, I would still lean towards Turner to get the win.
