UFC on ESPN+ 17 takes place Saturday, September 21 at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City, Mexico. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
UFC on ESPN+ 17 Opening Odds
Yair Rodriguez -165
Jeremy Stephens +125
Alexa Grasso -135
Carla Esparza -105
Askar Askarov -175
Brandon Moreno +135
Irene Aldana -475
Vanessa Melo +325
Martin Bravo -120
Steven Peterson -120
Jose Quinonez -245
Carlos Hauchin +175
Kyle Nelson -120
Marco Polo Reyes -120
Ariane Carnelossi -150
Angela Hill +110
Sergio Pettis -265
Tyson Nam +185
Paul Craig -160
Vinicius Moreira +120
Sijara Eubanks -230
Bethe Correia +170
Claudio Puelles -215
Marcos Mariano +165
And here are my initial thoughts on the UFC on ESPN+ 17 Opening Odds:
- The main event between Rodriguez and Stephens should be an incredible fight. Rodriguez is coming off of one of the best knockouts in UFC history with his last-second KO over Chan Sung Jung, while Stephens has actually lost two straight fights to Zabit Magomedsharipov and Jose Aldo. Both guys are action fighters and these two will go to war for five rounds or less. As good as Stephens is, he is also the owner of a dubious record: the most losses in UFC history. That means he’s tough to trust with your money, while Rodriguez has mostly been a model of consistency save for a TKO loss to Frankie Edgar two years ago. Considering the fight is in Mexico, you have to lean towards the younger, fresher fighter in Rodriguez.
- The co-main event should also be a really good fight between Grasso and Esparza. This is essentially a striker vs. grappler matchup, and the winner will be who dictates where the fight takes place. Grasso is coming off of a decision win over Karolina Kowalkiewicz when she showed off her excellent striking technique, while Esparza is coming off of a decision win over Virna Jandiroba where she showed off her wrestling. This should be a close fight, but given Grasso will be fighting in Mexico and is the younger fighter with more upside, she deserves to be the favorite for this one.
- The flyweight bout between Askarov and Moreno should also be fantastic. Askarov is one of the most highly-touted flyweight prospects in the world and is finally making his UFC debut with tons of momentum as he’s undefeated in 10 pro fights. Moreno is returning to the UFC after picking up a big win in LFA and he has plenty of experience already in the UFC. This should be one of the best fights on the card, but given Askarov’s unbeaten record he opened as the favorite.
- There are some really intriguing preliminary card bouts as well, including a flyweight bout between Pettis and Nam. Pettis didn’t look good after moving up to bantamweight, but he’s not far removed from a win at 125lbs over Joseph Benavidez. Moving back down in weight should help him out. As for Nam, he’s making his long-awaited UFC debut after picking up a couple of nice wins in Hawaii. Nam has deserved to be on the UFC roster for a long time, and now let’s see what he does with the opportunity. At these odds, it’s a dog-or-pass fight.
