Xtreme Fighting Championships has long been a staple of the Southeastern MMA scene in the United States. They return for their 23rd card this Friday, which will air live on AXS TV. Some of the staples of XFC that we’ve become accustomed to, like Nick Newell and Scott Holtzman, make way for a new wave of talent the promotion is looking to build up. Today, MMA Oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting lines for XFC 23 at Several Bookmakers. Here they are: ——————– Luis Santos -265 Shamar Bailey +185 Deivison Ribeiro -210 Zach Underwood +160 Stephanie Eggink -150 Brianna Van Buren +110 Eric Moell -380 Joey Diehl +260 John Troyer -210 Julio Gallegos +160 ——————– Brad’s Analysis: These lines all seem just about right to me, but there are a couple which intrigue me. Depending on which way the public takes the lines, they could turn into small plays. I think Brianna Van Buren is an interesting prospect in women’s MMA, and she is more than capable of pulling off the small upset here, but at only +110 there isn’t a ton of value in the line where it sits right now. The other line that catches my eye is John Troyer just over 2-to-1 against Julio Gallegos. Troyer has proven himself to be a competitor capable of beating most fighters on the regional circuit, while falling to fighters at the next level (i.e. Brent Weedman, Nick Thompson, Justin Edwards and Dave Branch). Gallegos is a regional journeyman through and through, and as long as Troyer is able to avoid the early bullrush his superior skills should see him prevail.
