UFC on ESPN 7 takes place Saturday, December 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the full card, and here they are.
UFC on ESPN 7 Opening Odds
Alistair Overeem -135
Jairzinho Rozenstruik +105
Cynthia Calvillo -140
Marina Rodriguez +110
Ben Rothwell -145
Stefan Struve +115
Aspen Ladd -165
Yana Kunitskaya +135
Song Yadong -145
Cody Stamann +115
Rob Font -160
Ricky Simon +130
Tim Means -160
Thiago Alves +130
Billy Quarantillo -230
Jacob Kilburn +170
Bryce Mitchell -185
Matt Sayles +160
Joe Solecki -180
Matt Wiman +150
Virna Jandiroba -155
Mallory Martin +115
Makhmud Muradov -260
Trevor Smith +200
And here are my initial thoughts on the UFC on ESPN 7 Opening Odds:
- The main event between heavyweights Overeem and Rozenstruik is almost assuredly going to get with someone sleeping on the canvas. Both men pack a big punch, and given the striking abilities of both men, this one seems likely to stay on the feet. Overeem has all the experience in the world, but with that experience comes a shaky chin as he’s been knocked out 13 times in MMA. Rozenstruik is undefeated and hasn’t lost and has knocked out all of his opponents inside the Octagon so far. There’s no doubt Overeem is the biggest test of Rozenstruik’s career to date, and he’s taking the fight on short notice, but the oddsmakers know that Rozenstruik is dangerous and that’s why the odds opened so close.
- The co-main event is a solid women’s strawweight bout between Calvillo and Rodriguez. It’s not really a co-headlining worthy fight, but it is a decent matchup if you don’t consider card placement. Both women are looking to move up the ladder at 115lbs and a win here would help catapult each closer towards a title shot. This looks like a coin flip kind of fight, and the odds reflect.
- Another heavyweight bout sees Rothwell take on Struve. This is a fight between two long-time veterans of the Octagon who badly need a win in order to stay relevant. Rothwell is currently riding a three-fight losing skid while Struve snapped his own three-fight losing skid with a win over Marcos Rogerio de Lima in his last fight. This fight might come down to who lands first and whose chin holds up better. Considering how many times Strue has been knocked out, the oddsmakers favor Rothwell a bit.
- An important women’s bantamweight bout sees Ladd take on Kunitskaya. Ladd suffered the first loss of her pro MMA career in her last outing when she was controversially stopped by Germaine de Randamie, but she remains a top prospect at 135lbs. Kunitskaya, meanwhile, has been on a roll as of late with two straight wins. Both men could jump into title contention with a win here, but given Ladd’s age advantage she opened as a small favorite.
- And finally, there are two really good bantamweight bouts to kick off the card as Yadong takes on Stamann and Font takes on Simon. In the stacked UFC men’s 135lbs division, the winner of these two fights could jump into title contention. Like the oddsmakers, I favor Yadong and Font as well.
