Colby Covington will be looking to record a seventh-straight victory when he makes his long-awaited return on Saturday to take on Robbie Lawler in the main event at UFC on ESPN 5 as a heavy -235 favourite on the UFC odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The 31-year-old has not stepped into the octagon since claiming the interim UFC welterweight championship with a five-round unanimous decision victory over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225, improving his professional MMA record to 14-1 going into Saturday night’s bout at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Covington was subsequently forced to undergo nasal surgery and was stripped of his title due to the resulting inactivity. But despite his lengthy 14-month layoff, the former All-American wrestler out of Oregon State University remains pegged as the No. 2 contender in the UFC welterweight division.
The Clovis, Calif., native’s victory over dos Anjos as a -150 favourite at online sports betting sites marked his fourth straight win by decision. However, Covington also has a demonstrated ability to end things early, posting five career wins by submission along with a pair of TKO finishes.
Set as a lengthy +185 underdog for Saturday, Lawler has struggled since losing the UFC welterweight crown in stunning fashion with an opening-round KO loss to Tyron Woodley at UFC 201 as a -140 wager.
Lawler has fallen to defeat in two of three outings since, losing by decision to dos Anjos at UFC on Fox 26 as a narrow -120 favourite before suffering another first-round defeat by technical submission to Ben Askren at UFC 235 as a lengthy +230 underdog.
A trio of lightweight clashes highlight the card earlier on Saturday night. Jim Miller will be aiming to record consecutive wins for the first time since 2016 as he battles Clay Guida as -165 chalk.
A pair of fighters coming off Fight of the Night performances clash as Nasrat Haqparast takes on Thibault Gouti as a -240 favourite, while Dong Hyun Ma looks to rebound from a stunning opening-round TKO loss to Devonte Smith at UFC 235 as he faces off against Scott Holtzman as a +290 underdog.
Miller has posted just two wins in his past seven fights, but looked strong while earning a Performance of the Night bonus in his last outing, a first-round submission win over Jason Gonzalez at UFC Fight Night 150 as a -130 wager.
Listed as a +135 underdog, Guida earned a unanimous decision win over BJ Penn at UFC 237 to pay out on short -700 odds, but has posted consecutive wins just once while going 6-7 in his past 13 contests.
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