Dana White’s Contender Series 62 takes place on Tuesday, September 12 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 looks at the opening odds below.
Opening Odds For Dana White’s Contender Series 62
Jhonata Diniz -160
Eduardo Jose Neves +130
James Llontop -225
Malik Lewis +185
AJ Cunningham -115
Steven Nguyen -115
Julia Polastri -450
Patricia Alujas +350
Jean Matsumoto -250
Kasey Tanner +200
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds For Dana White’s Contender Series 62:
- The heavyweights go at it when Jhonata Diniz takes on Eduardo Jose Neves. Diniz is a perfect 5-0 as a pro MMA fighter since making his debut in 2022. All five of those wins have come by knockout, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given he comes from a kickboxing background. As for Neves, he has won all of his fights as a pro save for a defeat to current UFC heavyweight Mick Parkin two years ago. These two heavyweights should be able to have a great fight here that sees one of them getting knocked out in devastating fashion. Just given the fact that Diniz has never lost before, you have to lean his way to get the victory here.
- Also on the card is a lightweight bout between James Llontop and Malik Lewis. Llontop is a Peruvian fighter who has won his last 11 fights in a row. We know the Peruvians are doing very well these days in MMA so he should be a nice prospect to watch going forward. As for Lewis, he picked up a knockout win in his last fight, bouncing back from a knockout loss to Trevor Peek on last season’s DWCS. Although Lewis has the experience fighting on the Contender Series, Llontop has more momentum heading into this bout, hence being the favorite here.
