The early betting odds for the new main event of UFC 223 have been released.
Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov has been canceled due to Ferguson suffering an injury. Current UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is set to take on Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title in the main event of the upcoming UFC 223 pay-per-view event.
MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened Nurmagomedov as a -505 favorite for the fight. Holloway stands at +365 as the underdog.
UFC 223 is set to take place on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6 p.m. ET.
Holloway vs. Nurmagomedov in a lightweight title fight will serve as the main event while a rematch between Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk will serve as the co-main event.
Rounding out the five bout main card is Al Iaquinta vs. Paul Felder in a lightweight bout, Michael Chiesa vs. Anthony Pettis in a lightweight bout, and Renato Moicano vs. Calvin Kattar in a featherweight bout.
“Max Holloway is a warrior for stepping up, and I will never count the guy out,” Kalikas stated to MMA Junkie. “That being said, Holloway’s finishing ability comes from wearing down his opponent, and to me, this is a stylistically bad matchup.
“Holloway has good takedown defense, but Nurmagomedov takes people down whether they have good takedown defense or not.
I’m opening this price as steep as it is because of all the factors that are coming into play, including the fact that Nurmagomedov was already a -270 betting favorite against Tony Ferguson, who is bigger, stronger and a better wrestler than Holloway.
With Holloway taking this on short notice, moving up a weight class and coming off an injury that forced him out of a UFC 222 headlining bout, I’m opening Nurmagomedov as a -505 favorite with the comeback on Holloway at +365.”
What are your thoughts on this upcoming fight and early betting odds? Sound off in the comment section below.
