Kamaru Usman will defend his UFC welterweight title for the first time when he takes on Colby Covington on Saturday in the main event at UFC 245 as a solid -185 favourite on the UFC odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Usman claimed the title with a unanimous decision win over Tyron Woodley as a +170 underdog at UFC 235, and has now posted wins in 14 straight fights going into Saturday night’s bout at T-Mobile Arena.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBm5sBmNvc0&feature=youtu.be
Usman has regularly gone the distance during the lengthy win streak that has lifted his professional MMA record to 15-1. The 32-year-old has seen eight of his past nine fights get decided by the judges, with each of his past three contests going a full five rounds.
Covington makes his first bid for the undisputed UFC welterweight title pegged as a +150 underdog at sports betting sites. The 31-year-old American has claimed victory in each of his past seven octagon appearances, with each of his past five wins coming by decision. In addition, Covington briefly claimed the interim UFC welterweight title with a five-round unanimous decision win over Rafael dos Anjos as a -150 bet at UFC 225, but was later stripped of the title after being unavailable to defend it after undergoing nasal surgery.
Earlier on Saturday, UFC fans will be entertained by two other championship contests, as Max Holloway defends his UFC featherweight title against Alexander Volkanovski as -185 chalk, while Amanda Nunes puts her women’s bantamweight title on the line against Germaine de Randamie as a heavy -310 favourite on the UFC 245 odds.
Holloway is coming off a five-round unanimous decision win over Frankie Edgar as -325 chalk at UFC 240 in the third successful defence of his UFC featherweight crown. Holloway has seen the judges decide his past two fights, ending a stretch of four straight wins by TKO.
Volkanovski makes his first bid for a UFC title pegged as a +150 underdog. The 31-year-old Australian has tallied 17 straight victories, capped by a three-round unanimous decision win over Jose Aldo at UFC 237.
Nunes has dominated the UFC women’s bantamweight division since claiming the title with a first-round submission of Miesha Tate at UFC 200, finishing opponents inside five minutes in three of five subsequent octagon appearances, including her demolition of Cris Cyborg to win the UFC women’s featherweight title at UFC 232.
Listed as a lengthy +240 underdog, de Randamie has posted five straight wins, capped by a first-round TKO victory over Aspen Ladd as a +105 underdog in her last outing at UFC Fight Night 155.
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