Headed for UFC 261, the welterweight king Kamaru Usman has once again opened as the favorite for his second meeting with Jorge Masvidal, but not only that, flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko is also highly favored to win her contest against Jéssica Andrade.
After a complete shut-out performance by Usman, the NCAA wrestler sent Masvidal back to the drawing board at UFC 251, with just about every scorecard reading 50-45 in favor of the incumbent champion. Interestingly, oddsmakers have determined that their numbers from the last time out were indeed accurate.
Usman And Shevchenko Open At -350 Or More On Many Bookies
Initially, in the first bout between Usman and Masvidal, the champion opened as about a -350 favorite, which means that in order to make $100 USD, the bettor must wager $350 USD. However, as the fight got closer to the cage door shutting, underdog money came in on Masvidal and the line moved Usman to around being a -290 favorite.
On the other hand, the comeback for the underdog Masvidal sits at +285. So, that means by betting $100 USD, if Masvidal were to win it would result in a windfall of $285.
With a heavy-wrestling game plan, Usman seemingly had little trouble in his last title defense, and barely had a scratch on him when the fight was over with “Gamebred”. Although, Masvidal did take the fight on short notice without a full camp. Certainly, the last performance had a huge effect on the rematch opening line, but like at UFC 251, late money will undoubtedly pour in for “Gamebred”.
Additionally, the flyweight champion will defend her title against the incredibly powerful Jéssica Andrade at UFC 261. As it stands, the dominant champ is a -360 favorite on many betting sites (must bet $360 to net $100). Conversely, Andrade sits at +295, so a bet of $100 could make you almost $300. Overall the odds are an indication that she is just as likely to retain her title as Usman. Since it seems both champions will enter as big favorites, perhaps underdog money might be the play here.
If you had to bet between Usman and Masvidal/Shevchenko and Andrade, who would you take? Let us know below who you think the “super necessary” lock of the night is!
