UFC Vegas 22: Brunson vs. Holland takes place on Saturday, March 20 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the event, and MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a look at the opening odds below.
UFC Vegas 22 Odds
Derek Brunson -120
Kevin Holland +100
Gregor Gillespie -150
Brad Riddell +130
Roman Dolidze -150
Trevin Giles +130
Macy Chiasson -225
Marion Reneau +190
Max Griffin -127
Song Kenan +106
Grant Dawson -185
Leonardo Santos +160
Tai Tuivasa -235
Don’Tale Mayes +200
Montel Jackson -500
Jesse Strader +385
JP Buys -170
Bruno Silva +145
Adrian Yanez -238
Gustavo Lopez +195
Julia Avila -300
Julija Stoliarenko +250
Cheyanne Buys -250
Montserrat Ruiz +200
Here are my quick thoughts on the UFC Vegas 22 Opening Odds:
- The main event should be a great fight in the middleweight division as No. 7 ranked Derek Brunson (21-7) takes on No. 10 ranked Kevin Holland (21-5). Brunson might be 37 years old now, but he’s fighting a high level these days, having won his last three fights in a row including a TKO win over top prospect Edmen Shahbazyan in his last outing. His wrestling and ground and pound have been a serious weapon for him as of late. As for Holland, he was in the running for 2020 “Fighter of the Year” after racking up five wins, including a TKO over former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in his last outing. This should be an awesome fight for the five rounds or less that it’s booked for. The oddsmakers pegged Brunson as a slight favorite at open, but the line has since shifted to Holland being favored. It’s a close fight on paper and it will be interesting to see how the betting line moves.
- The co-main event featured No. 15 ranked lightweight Gregor Gillespie (13-1) returns to the Octagon for the first time since his head kick KO loss to Kevin Lee at UFC 244 that snapped his undefeated professional MMA record. That fight took place in November 2019, so Gillespie has had a long layoff heading into this bout against Riddell, who has looked great in the UFC, too. Riddell is 3-0 in the UFC and is coming off of a decision win over Alex da Silva in his last outing. Riddell has looked great in the Octagon but fighting a ranked opponent in Gillespie is a big step up in competition and it will be intriguing to see if he will be able to handle Gillespie.
- Another important fight on the card features No. 9 ranked women’s bantamweight Marion Reneau (9-6-1) and the No. 11 ranked Macy Chiasson (6-1). At age 43, Reneau is the oldest fighter on the UFC roster and she is coming off of three straight decision losses to Raquel Pennington, Yana Kunitskaya, and Cat Zingano. She hasn’t won a fight since February 2018. As for Chiasson, she is 4-1 overall in the Octagon and most recently was seen defeating Shana Young in early 2020. Reneau was a very good fighter a couple of years ago but she hasn’t won a fight in three years now. With Chiasson being the much younger fighter and the fighter who has been more active and successful, the oddsmakers opened her as the favorite.
