The odds for Saturday’s final Strikeforce show are out, and not surprisingly, there are many big betting lines.
The most lopsided is that of the co-main event, where Daniel Cormier opened as big as a 20-1 favourite in his heavyweight bout against newcomer Dion Staring. It’s not outrageous, considering the formidable Cormier (10-0) is undefeated and coming off a win in the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix tournament and is taking on an unheralded fighter simply to fulfill his final contract obligation.
But the line may have been just a little bit high, and it has since moved down to -1600 in some books, with Staring at about +1200.
Josh Barnett, whom Cormier beat in the final of the tournament last May, was the second biggest favourite, opening at -1525 against another unknown Nandor Guelmino.
In the main event, welterweight champion Nate Marquardt opened at -285 for his title bout against Tarec Saffiedine (+225), while former champions Gegard Mousasi and Ronaldo (Jacare) Souza were both better than -400 favourites in their fights against Mike Kyle and Ed Herman, respectively.
The card features many one-sided fights as the organization, which will cease operations following the event, looks to promote its biggest stars a final time before they are expected to be moved over to the UFC, which is owned by the same parent company.
Here’s a look at all the lines for Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine, which takes place at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City:
Nate Marquardt -285 vs. Tarec Saffiedine +225
Daniel Cormier -2000 vs. Dion Staring +1100
Josh Barnett -1525 vs. Nandor Guelmino +850
Gegard Mousasi -450 vs. Mike Kyle +330
Ronaldo Souza -425 vs. Ed Herman +320
Pat Healy -505 vs. Kurt Holobaugh +335
Roger Gracie -350 vs. Anthony Smith +250
Tim Kennedy -420 vs. Trevor Smith +300
KJ Noons -210 vs. Ryan Couture +160
Adriano Martins -245 vs. Jorge Gurgel +175
Estevan Payan -130 vs. Mike Bravo -110
