Could we see yet another underdog coming good on June 4?
Since the turn of the year, we’ve seen favourites like TJ Dillashaw, Holly Holm and Fabricio Werdum have their UFC titles snatched away by plucky underdogs Dominick Cruz, Miesha Tate and Stipe Miocic respectively.
The betting line in all three of those bouts was quite close but when the middleweight title is decided next month, the line will be anything but as the opening odds of Rockhold vs. Bisping II have emerged.
Nick Kalikas of MMAOddsBreaker.com set the odds before speaking to ESPN and he reckons that Rockhold is a favourite of Ronda Rousey proportions (we all know what happened there).
Rockhold is considered a -1,050 (1/10) favourite to retain his 185 lb crown when he welcomes Bisping to the Octagon for the second time.
‘The Count’ steps in on less than three weeks notice for the injured former champion Chris Weidman, who pulled out of the UFC 199 headliner earlier this week.
Rockhold submitted Bisping, a +600 (6/1) underdog for June 4, in the second round when they clashed in Australia in 2014 and Kalikas fancies something similar to take place in the main event in California.
“The last time these two men fought, Luke Rockhold closed as a 5/1 betting favorite and he defeated Bisping convincingly,” Kalikas told Brett Okamoto. “Most of the betting action was on Rockhold at the time. The stylistic matchup hasn’t changed and now Bisping is on short notice.
“Rockhold should be able to have success on the feet and will have a huge advantage if the fight hits the canvas. I have a ton of respect for Bisping and he’s on the best run of his career but Rockhold is untouchable right now.”
