Fabricio Werdum will be gunning for a seventh straight win when he defends his undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship crown for the first time Saturday, taking on challenger Stipe Miocic at UFC 198 as a -155 betting favourite at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
It has been 11 months since Werdum last fought, earning Performance of the Night honours after finishing Cain Velasquez by submission in the third round of their battle at UFC 188, winning and unifying the UFC Heavyweight title and paying out as a stunning +375 underdog.
Ranked ninth on the MMA Pound-for-Pound Rankings, Werdum takes a professional MMA record of 20-5-1 into Saturday night’s matchup at Arena de Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil, and an undefeated record in six UFC contests; which include two wins each by TKO and submission.
Miocic has been vocal about his desire for a title shot and is finally getting his chance to battle for the crown as a +135 underdog following an impressive first-round knockout of Andrei Arlovski at UFC 195. The 33-year-old American needed just 54 seconds to dispose of Arlovski, paying out as strong -225 chalk and improving his pro record to 14-2.
Since making his UFC debut at UFC 136, Miocic has won eight of 10 fights, ending five of those contests inside the distance by KO or TKO including a victory over Fabio Maldonado in The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale in just 35 seconds as a heavy -500 favourite.
In other UFC 198 action, Cris Cyborg makes her much-anticipated UFC debut on Saturday when she takes on Leslie Smith as a heavy -1400 favourite in a Catchweight bout at 140 lbs.
The former Strikeforce Women’s Featherweight champion and current Invicta FC Featherweight champ is undefeated since losing in her MMA debut 11 years ago, and owns a pro record of 15-1 with one no contest.
Cyborg has finished four of her past five fights in the first round, most recently knocking out Daria Ibragimova on punches at Invicta FC 15 to pay out as the big -3000 favourite.
Smith, pegged as a long +850 underdog, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Rin Nakai at UFC Fight Night 85 where she rewarded bettors as a -145 favourite. However, she is just 3-4 in her past seven fights.
As well, a pair of Middleweight contests have Anderson “The Spider” Silva taking on Uriah Hall as a slim -130 odds favourite, while Vitor Belfort is a +260 underdog to claim his seventh straight victory before a Brazilian crowd as he battles Ronaldo Souza, who sits as -310 chalk.
