The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to New Jersey with UFC on FOX 15, headlined by a five round middleweight contest between top contenders Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Luke Rockhold. The four-fight main card kicks off on FOX at 8pm, with preliminary action preceding it on the same channel at 6pm ET and UFC Fight Pass at 4:30pm prior to that. If interested in wagering on this fight card, all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakerss. Getting the action started for the UFC on FOX 15 main card is a fight that comes in the UFC’s newest division of women’s strawweight (115 pounds) and features arguably two of the division’s most popular fighters in Paige VanZant and Felice Herrig. In what should be a barn-burner, this is undoubtedly the most important fight of both ladies’ careers. VanZant became the first non-champion and only female fighter besides Ronda Rousey to sign a Reebok deal, and that followed her dominant performance against Kailin Curran in her UFC debut. This is her first bout since signing the deal and she looks for another impressive showing, one which could potentially earn her a title shot. A title shot could also be a possibility for Herrig, who likely feels it should have been her to receive the Reebok deal, as she is the more experienced and overall more notable fighter, having nearly twice the followers on social media. On a card full of exciting fights, it would be no surprise to see these ladies take home the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors. VanZant opened as a -175 favorite at the sportsbooks, with Herrig being a +135 underdog. Action has however come in on Herrig, tightening the betting lines and bringing them to their current -140/+120. Next up on the evening’s prime time main card is a featherweight scrap that is arguably the favorite to take home the evening’s aforementioned ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus when all is said and done. Action is certainly expected when WEC veteran Cub Swanson steps inside the Octagon to take on the Hawaiian Max Holloway. Swanson last competed at UFC Fight Night 57, where he was submitted by former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar with only four seconds remaining in the fifth and final round. The loss snapped his impressive six-fight winning streak, and he looks to rebound with a win over Holloway, while simultaneously preventing the red-hot Hawaiian from picking up his sixth straight win. Holloway made it five in a row against Cole Miller at UFC Fight Night 60 two months ago, defeating The Ultimate Fighter season five veteran via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards following three rounds of action on the feet. A win over Swanson would be the biggest of his professional mixed martial arts career and likely catapult him into the title picture. Swanson opened as a -190 betting favorite in this contest, with Holloway being a +150 underdog. Action has since come in on the dog, tightening betting lines to a current -150/+130. The co-main event for UFC on FOX 15 has been the latest victim of the injury bug, as Yoel Romero was forced out of his scheduled bout against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Stepping in to replace Romero on short notice is Colorado’s Chris Camozzi. This is Camozzi’s third stint with the promotion, as he was released from his contract just seven months ago after dropping four straight fights, all by decision. Since receiving the pink slip, he has notched two straight wins, both via first round finish, and when the opportunity arrose, The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 veteran took full advantage. I think the UFC could have gone another way, because Camozzi arguably has the bad combination of poor fight IQ and takedown defense, which makes this a terrible match-up for him. It is in fact a rematch of Souza’s promotional debut, where he put Camozzi to sleep with an arm triangle choke in the very first round of action. It is no surprise that “Jacare” opened as a -1050 favorite in this contest, with Camozzi being a +550 betting underdog. It is also no surprise that action has since come in on the Brazilian, making current betting lines -1500/+1000. Headlining the evening’s main card will be a five round middleweight contest between former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. The winner of this contest could very well be next in line to contend for the division’s gold. “The Dragon” came close in his initial bid for the 185-pound title but ultimately lost a unanimous decision to the current champ Chris Weidman. He has since bounced back with an impressive first round TKO over CB Dolloway, and another impressive victory over an elite middleweight like Rockhold could be just what it takes to earn him another shot. Since suffering a first round knockout against current title challenger Vitor Belfort in his promotional debut, Rockhold has impressively strung together three wins in a row, with all three of them coming by way of finish. He has efficiently dismantled and put away Costas Philipou, Tim Boetsch and Michael Bisping, respectively. A win over Machida would all but cement his status as the next contender. Rockhold opened as a -140 favorite in this main event contest, with the return on Machida being +100. The public has backed Rockhold, as current betting odds rest at -160/+140.
