Francis Ngannou will have his sights set on a fifth straight first-round victory on Saturday when he takes on UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 220 as a -175 favourite on the UFC odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
“The Predator” has been unstoppable since joining the UFC in late 2015, finishing all six opponents he has faced in the octagon, including a spectacular opening-round knockout victory over veteran Alistair Overeem as -235 chalk at UFC 218 that lifted his professional MMA record to 11-1 going into Saturday night’s matchup at TD Garden.
Ngannou has demonstrated spectacular punching power during his meteoric rise to No. 1 among UFC heavyweight challengers. The Cameroon native has knocked out four of his six UFC opponents with punches, including a victory over former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski just 92 seconds into their clash at UFC on Fox 23 that earned him Performance of the Night honors and paid out on short -380 odds.
Miocic returns to action for the first time since May, pegged as a +145 underdog. The 35-year-old American has earned bonuses in each of four straight opening-round victories. That run includes a TKO win on punches over Junior dos Santos in his last octagon appearance at UFC 211 that was tagged as the Performance of the Night, and rewarded bettors with -170 odds.
Despite his recent dominance, Miocic is the latest UFC champion to enter the octagon to defend his title as a betting underdog. Seven fights have featured an underdog UFC champion since UFC 205, with the title holder eventually emerging victorious on five occasions.
Tyron Woodley settled for a draw in his first clash with Stephen Thompson as a +160 bet in their battle for the UFC welterweight crown at UFC 205, while Conor McGregor emerged as the lone favoured challenger to claim victory with his UFC lightweight championship victory over Eddie Alvarez as -160 chalk, also at UFC 205.
Elsewhere on the UFC 220 odds, Daniel Cormier will have a lot to prove as he defends his UFC light heavyweight title against Volkan Oezdemir as a -325 favourite. Cormier is unbeaten in five octagon appearances, but was badly beaten in a UFC 214 clash with Jon Jones. However, Cormier retained the title when the fight was declared a no-contest following a failed drug test by Jones.
Shane Burgos is pegged as -140 chalk in his tilt with fellow featherweight Calvin Kattar, who is listed at +110, while Gian Villante sports -185 odds in his light heavyweight battle with Francimar Barroso.
[relatedlinks]
