UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega takes place on Saturday, September 25 at T-Mobile Arena 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 266 Odds
Alexander Volkanovski -185
Brian Ortega +160
Valentina Shevchenko -720
Lauren Murphy +520
Robbie Lawler -250
Nick Diaz +210
Curtis Blaydes -240
Jairzinho Rozenstruik +198
Jessica Andrade -230
Cynthia Calvillo +195
Merab Dvalishvili -110
Marlon Moraes -110
Dan Hooker -150
Nasrat Haqparast +130
Chris Daukaus -140
Shamil Abdurakhimov +120
Taila Santos -225
Roxanne Modafferi +190
Manon Fiorot -400
Mayra Bueno Silva +330
Uros Medic -185
Jalin Turner +160
Omar Morales -190
Jonathan Pearce +165
Nick Maximov -140
Karl Roberson +120
Matthew Semelsberger -160
Martin Sano Jr. +140
Here are my quick thoughts on the UFC 266 Opening Odds:
- The main event of UFC 266 sees UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski put his belt on the line against fellow TUF 29 coach Brian Ortega. These two were supposed to have fought back in March, but Volkanovski got COVID-19 and it pushed the fight back six months following the filming of TUF. Now that both guys are ready to fight, this should be a very intriguing main event between two of the best 145lbers on the planet. Volkanovski is coming off of back-to-back wins over Max Holloway while Ortega was most recently seen beating The Korean Zombie. Although Ortega is a live dog here, Volkanovski deserves his favorite status.
- As for the co-main event, we have UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko taking on Lauren Murphy in what the oddsmakers perceive to be a mismatch. Shevchenko is once again a massive favorite for her next title defense, and based on how dominant she has been in the UFC women’s flyweight division, it makes sense that she is so highly favored here. That being said, Murphy is a true veteran of the sport and has the grappling skills to at least make things interesting, though Shevchenko is still the clear betting favorite in this matchup.
