Conor McGregor (19-2) kommer att gå upp en viktklass och utmana om lättviktstiteln mot Rafael Dos Anjos (25-7) på UFC 197. McGregor kommer att gå in som en underdog och oddsmakaren Joey Oddessa är det rätt att McGregor ska vara en underdog i matchen mot Dos Anjos.
Dos Anjos kommer att gå in som favorit mot McGregor, då man kan vinna 2 gånger pengarna om McGregor vinner och Odessa förklarar att Dos Anjos kommer att ha ett viktmässigt, storleksmässigt och teknikmässigt övertag. Odessa förklarar också att McGregor inte kommer ha övertaget inom områden som ringrost och lång vila mot Dos Anjos, som McGregor hade mot Jose Aldo (25-2) på UFC 194.
“Conor McGregor has defied the odds, and in spite of him being the betting favorite at fight time in all of his previous bouts at the majority of sports books, he enters UFC 197 as a small underdog at +115 in the early lines that are posted almost a dozen weeks out – and rightfully so,” berättade Oddessa för MMAjunkie. “Conor is stepping up a full weight class to challenge Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight championship after coming off a spectacular, record-breaking knockout of Jose Aldo, who was widely regarded as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
“Rafael dos Anjos has won 10 of his last 11 bouts, and size and experience do matter. It’s easy to make excuses for Aldo losing the fight, but the fact is Conor proved he is legit. But in this instance, I think he bit off more than he can chew.
“European supporters of Conor are going to have to go really heavy to the betting windows to flip Conor to the favorite. Many of the advantages he enjoyed over Aldo, including a year layoff and displeasure with the organization, are two burdens that Rafael won’t have to enter the octagon with. Rafael will, however, be carrying with him a size, skill and weight advantage.”
Holly Holm (10-0) var en stor underdog inför mötet mot Ronda Rousey (12-1) på UFC 193 och det berodde på att många såg Holm som en endimensionell boxare, men Holm har varit favorit i sina två tidigare matcher i UFC. I sin titelmatch mot Miesha Tate (17-5) på UFC 197 är det Tate som går in som en underdog på 4 gånger pengarna, men Tate är inte lika stor underdog som Holm var inför matchen mot Rousey och det beror på att många tror att om Tate inte gör de felen som Rousey gjorde, kan Tate vinna matchen med sin brottning.
“Holly Holm turned out to be a pleasant surprise to underdog bettors when she upset Ronda Rousey entering the octagon as high as a +900 underdog against the champ,” sa Oddessa. “Prior to her title shot, Holm was also the betting favorite in all of her bouts leading into UFC 193.
“Holm also carried a spectacular 33-2-3 boxing record, of which the majority took place in her home state of New Mexico, dating as far back as 2005. Holm’s boxing credentials led many Rousey backers to believe Holm was a one-dimensional standup fighter and an easy nights work for Ronda.
“You would expect much the same to hold true now against Tate, but that’s not the case. Holm (-370) enters as nearly a 4-to-1 favorite against an opponent that Rousey beat twice. It’s the kind of bout bettors get caught speeding with: striker vs. wrestler. If Tate (+310) learned from Ronda’s mistakes, she’s got a legit shot to upset her. If she thinks she can stand in front of the world champion boxer and strike, Holly will give her a face lift.”
