So much for home-Octagon advantage.
Six Canadian fighters will climb into the ring Saturday for UFC 165: Jones vs. Gustafsson, but four of them are underdogs, according to the MMA betting odds menu at OddsShark.com.
The card is topped by the light heavyweight title defence of Jon Jones against Swedish challenger Alexander Gustafsson. The champion is a huge favorite where the line has climbed to 11/1 in recent days.
The co-Main Event is a bantamweight (135 pounds) title between interim belt holder Renan Barao, who has won 30 straight after losing his debut back in 2005, and Eddie Wineland. Barao has nearly 8/1 odds.
Watch the UFC 165 preliminary card Saturday with four fights on sportsnet.ca starting at 6:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. PT then four additional bouts on Sportsnet 360 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT – Broadcast Schedule
Montreal’s Mike Ricci is the third biggest underdog on the card, as he faces unbeaten Myles Jury. At 12-0, Jury was listed Friday at -420.
Winnipeg’s Roland Delorme is a slight underdog against Alex Caceres, the acrobatic karate practitioner whose third straight UFC win was wiped out in March after he tested positive for marijuana. Delorme has lost just once in 10 MMA fights, although a second loss in July 2012 was overturned when his foe tested positive for a banned substance.
Sudbury’s Mitch Gagnon (9-2) is a +140 underdog to Dustin Kimura, who has strangely never won by kimura in his 10 MMA victories. He is 10-0 after submitting Chico Camus in his UFC debut and favored at -160 at most sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
And Chatham’s Chris Clements is a +260 underdog to karate aficionado Stephen Thompson, who will bring a kick-heavy attack. Clements was submitted in his last fight, but that verdict was overturned when Matt Riddle tested positive for weed as well.
The Canadian who oddsmakers believe has the best chance to win are Laval’s John Makdessi (4-2 in the UFC, 11-2 overall). He is currently -200 to beat Brazil’s Renee Forte.
London’s Jesse Ronson (13-2) is -155 in his UFC debut against Brazilian Michael Richard Dos Prazeres, who lost his Octagon debut in May to sit at 16-1. It’s a battle between prospects who have excelled outside the UFC, but who need a win to prove they can hang with the big boys.
See odds courtesy of OddsShark.com and watch Sportsnet.ca MMA odds pages for updates before fight time.
Here are the complete UFC 165 betting odds:
Nandor Guelmino +225
Daniel Omielanczuk -265
Roland Delorme +105
Alex Caceres -125
Michael Richard Dos Prazeres +135
Jesse Ronson -155
John Makdessi -200
Renee Forte +170
Mitch Gagnon +140
Dustin Kimura -160
Chris Clements +260
Stephen Thompson -320
Wilson Reis +155
Ivan Menjivar -175
Pat Healy +205
Khabib Nurmagomedov -245
Mike Ricci +335
Myles Jury -420
Matt Mitrione -110
Brendan Schaub -110
Francis Carmont +160
Constantinos Philippou -185
Renan Barao -750
Eddie Wineland +525
Alexander Gustafsson +700
Jon Jones -1100
