After settling nothing in a UFC 205 bout that ended in a majority draw, Tyron Woodley will once again put his UFC welterweight championship on the line in a rematch with Stephen Thompson at UFC 209 as a +130 underdog at sports books monitored by OddsShark.com.
“The Chosen One” got the nod from one judge in his first defence of his 170-pound belt at UFC 205 and remains undefeated in his past four fights, giving him a 16-3-1 professional MMA record heading into Saturday night’s matchup at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Woodley sported +160 odds in his first meeting with “Wonderboy” and is now pegged as a betting underdog for a fourth straight time, including his opening-round knockout win over Robbie Lawler as a +110 underdog when he claimed the crown at UFC 201. He also earned Performance of the Night honours for a first-round TKO win over Dong Hyun Kim as -225 chalk at UFC Fight Night 48.
Thompson enters the Octagon on Saturday as a -160 betting favourite at the sports books despite being left bloodied in his first tangle with Woodley, who dominated in both significant and total strikes. Wonderboy earned his title shot against Woodley after outlasting Rory MacDonald in a five-round unanimous decision win in the UFC Fight Night 89 main event matchup that was pegged as a pick’em. But the South Carolina native has also demonstrated exceptional stopping power in first-round knockout wins over former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks as a massive +235 underdog at UFC Fight Night 82, and over Jake Ellenberger as -250 chalk at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB95_GTx0Bo
(UPDATE: Khabib Nurmagomadev vs. Tony Ferguson has been cancelled)
In other UFC 209 action, Khabib Nurmagomadev aims to improve his professional MMA record to 25-0 when he battles fellow lightweight Tony Ferguson as a -190 favourite.
The native of Dagestan has built one of MMA’s longest undefeated streaks on the strengths of his dominant grappling skills, and has also finished his past two fights inside the distance including a third-round submission of Michael Johnson as -335 chalk at UFC 205.
Ferguson sits as a +155 underdog despite emerging victorious in each of his past nine appearances, including a unanimous decision win over Rafael dos Anjos as a +120 underdog in his last outing at UFC Fight Night 98.
Also for Saturday, veteran middleweight Rashad Evans is perched as a -225 favourite on the UFC 209 odds in his scheduled bout with Daniel Kelly, who trails at +175. Lightweight Lando Vannata is listed as heavy -400 chalk in his contest with David Teymur, a distant +300 underdog.
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