Amanda Nunes will be looking to defend her UFC women’s bantamweight crown on Friday night when she battles Ronda Rousey in the main event of UFC 207 as a +110 underdog at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Nunes claimed the belt with a first-round rear-naked choke submission victory over Miesha Tate as a +205 underdog at UFC 200, extending her current win streak in the octagon to four and lifting her professional MMA record to 13-4 ahead of Friday night’s bout at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The 28-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has earned first-round wins in five of seven clashes since joining the UFC, including a submission of Sara McMann as a +230 underdog at UFC Fight Night 73. However, Nunes sports long +611 odds of claiming a submission victory over the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion.
Rousey returns to action pegged as a narrow -140 favourite on the UFC 207 odds. The 29-year-old has been out of the spotlight since losing the title in a stunning second-round loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193.
That defeat represents the only blemish on Rousey’s 12-1 pro MMA record, and ended a string of four straight first-round victories, including three wins inside 36 seconds.
Rousey’s position as a narrow favourite comes in contrast to her recent history as heavy betting chalk. The armbar submission specialist sported -850 odds against Holm, -1600 odds in her first-round win over Bethe Correia at UFC 190, and paid out as -650 chalk after ending Cat Zingano’s night just 14 seconds into their clash at UFC 184.
Elsewhere, the UFC bantamweight championship is at stake in the co-main event, as champion Dominick Cruz faces No. 5 challenger Cody Garbrandt as a -225 favourite on the UFC 207 betting lines.
Cruz has overcome injuries that forced him to vacate the bantamweight title almost three years ago, reclaiming his crown with a split decision victory over TJ Dillashaw as a +130 underdog at UFC Fight Night 81, and is unbeaten in 13 straight contests.
A +175 underdog on Friday night, Garbrandt owns a perfect 10-0 record, and has finished opponents inside five minutes in each of his past three fights, including a TKO win in just 48 seconds as -500 chalk at UFC 202.
In other UFC 207 betting action, Dillashaw looks to earn another title shot when he faces John Lineker as -240 chalk. As well, former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks takes on Neil Magny in a fight pegged as a virtual pick’em at the sportsbooks.
