Valentina Shevchenko will have revenge on her mind when she battles Amanda Nunes for the women’s bantamweight title as a -120 favourite on the UFC 215 odds on Saturday night at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
“Bullet” suffered a three-round unanimous decision loss to Nunes in a UFC 196 battle pegged as a pick’em, marking her only defeat in four UFC fights going into Saturday’s card at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Shevchenko claimed Performance of the Night honours for her submission win over Julianna Pena as a -190 favourite at UFC on Fox 23. The 29-year-old has six career wins by submission, but went the distance in her four previous bouts, including a unanimous decision win over Holly Holm as a +175 underdog at UFC on Fox 20 in her only fight to go beyond three rounds.
Nunes rides a five-fight winning streak into Saturday’s clash, including four first-round finishes, but is pegged as a +110 underdog in her second defence of the UFC women’s bantamweight title.
“The Lioness” effectively ended the MMA career of former champion Ronda Rousey with a decisive TKO just 48 seconds into their battle at UFC 207, paying out on +160 odds and earning Performance of the Night honours for the third time in four octagon appearances.
The underrated Nunes also defied the oddsmakers at UFC 200, taking the title from Miesha Tate with a stunning first-round submission win as a +205 bet, and is now unbeaten in five straight fights, all as a UFC betting underdog.
The main event of UFC 215 was supposed to be a flyweight clash between champion Demetrious Johnson and challenger Ray Borg, but an illness to Borg has forced him to withdraw from the event. The Shevchenko vs. Nunes fight has been elevated to the headliner.
In other action on the UFC 215 betting lines for Saturday, Neil Magny sits as a +170 underdog in a welterweight clash with former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, who sports -210 odds, while light heavyweight Ilir Latifi faces Tyson Pedro as a +120 underdog.
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