Dana White’s Contender Series 27 takes place on Tuesday, August 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the main card, and here they are.
Opening Odds For Dana White’s Contender Series 27
Tyler Flores -300
Dustin Jacoby +240
Jerome Rivera -115
Luis Rodriguez -115
Uros Medic -150
Mikey Gonzalez +120
Jordan Leavitt -150
Jose Flores +130
Kenny Cross -190
Damonte Robinson +150
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds For Dana White’s Contender Series 27:
- It’s nice to have the Contender Series back. The show’s last three seasons have unearthed many up-and-coming fighters in the UFC and I expect this season to do so as well. Just remember, the Contender Series in general sees a lot of upsets. You can’t just blindly parlay the favorites on this one. So do your research and pick your spots going forward this season.
- The first Contender Series of 2020 features a main event between light heavyweights Jacoby and Flores, who opened as a big favorite. However, the odds switched soon after open, so it’s possible the opening line was a misprint. Jacoby is about a -250 favorite at most spots with Flores over +200. Jacoby has fought in the UFC before, back in 2011-2012, and he lost to Chris Camozzi and Clifford Starks. Overall, he’s just 11-5 in MMA, but since his UFC stint, he has mostly competed in kickboxing where he’s had a lot of success. I’m still not sure about Jacoby as an MMA fighter but obviously he’s proven to be a very capable striker. As for Flores, he’s 7-2 and he’s riding a five-fight win streak that includes a win over UFC vet James Bochnovic. He also has a notable loss to Geoff Neal. Jacoby should be favored here due to his combat sports experience, but Flores has been impressive and trains at a great gym at Elevation Fight Team. I think based on the line this is a dog-or-pass situation.
- In a pick with Pick ’em odds, the 9-2 flyweight Rivera takes on the 11-1 prospect Rodriguez. After opening as a Pick ’em, the odds have swung in Rivera’s favorite and he’s now a -250 favorite. Rivera has been fighting in LFA and has fought the likes of Brandon Royval, while Rivera has won seven straight fights over lesser opposition in Mexico. I agree that Rivera should be favored because he’s fought better competition, but Rodriguez is a live dog.
- Another lightweight bout sees the 6-0 Leavitt as a small favorite over the 9-1 Flores. Leavitt has been impressive in his wins but his level of competition has been poor. Flores has fought better fighters and has previous experience fighting on the Contender Series, Bellator, and in Combate Americas, We’ll find out how good Leavitt is here, but Flores is again a live dog.
- In a fight that features a bigger favorite, the 10-3 lightweight Cross takes on the 6-1-1 Robinson, who took the fight on very short notice and who missed weight. Cross has won four straight fights by knockout while Robinson is unbeaten over his last three. Honestly, both guys have fought poor competition so it’s hard to get a read on how good these guys are. I would lean strongly towards Cross though just based on the fact Robinson took the fight on such short notice and also missed weight.
- The third lightweight bout on the card sees the 5-0 Medic a slight favorite over the 7-1 Gonzalez. Medic has finished all five of his opponents as a pro while Gonzalez has won all but one of his pro fights. I would favor Medic slightly here based on potential, but Gonzalez is certainly capable to get the win as the underdog.
