UFC Fight Night 131 takes place Friday, June 1 at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. The opening odds for the card were recently released by the offshore sportsbooks and here they are:
UFC Fight Night 131 Opening Odds
Jimmie Rivera -190
Marlon Moraes +150
Gregor Gillespie -230
Vinc Pichel +170
Walt Harris -260
Daniel Spitz +180
Jake Ellenberger -210
Ben Saunders +160
Julio Arce -230
Daniel Teymur +170
Sam Alvey -190
Gian Villante +150
Sijara Eubanks -190
Lauren Murphy +150
David Teymur -265
Nik Lentz +185
Belal Muhammad -400
Chance Rencountre +280
Desmond Green -185
Gleison Tibau +145
Jessica Aguilar -215
Jodie Esquibel +165
Nathaniel Wood -260
Johnny Eduardo +180
Jose Torres -265
Jarred Brooks +185
And here are my thoughts on the UFC Fight Night 131 opening odds:
– The main event between Rivera and Moraes should be a real banger between two of the best bantamweights in the world. Though I agree Rivera should be a slight favorite, the opening line was clearly too high as bets have been coming in on Moraes and the fight is essentially a Pick ’em. I wouldn’t even be surprised if the line flips and Rivera becomes the underdog by close. If you are liking Rivera maybe wait until fight day and hope he gets to plus money.
– The opening line on Gillespie was way too low in this fight against Pichel. Gillespie holds a huge stylistic advantage with his wrestling in this fight and should have opened up as a much bigger favorite. Though it’s early, Gillespie is up to -750 now which is probably a bit too high but still more realistic than the opening line which was just way too low. If you were able to snag Gillespie at the opener then congrats on that as I don’t see him dipping below 4-to-1 again.
– Though I slightly lean Harris over Spitz, the line on Harris is rather high here considering how many times he’s lost fights he should have won. Yes, Harris is athletic and has KO power but he always makes a lot of dumb mistakes in his fights and has been finished numerous times. This is a dog-or-pass situation at the opening line, and I expect some money to start coming in on Spitz.
– For a dog I’m taking a look at Saunders to beat Ellenberger. It’s definitely a close fight but I think Saunders is the more well-rounded fighter. As bad as his chin is, so is Ellenberger’s so that’s essentially a wash here. I just feel like Saunders has more weapons in this fight and I’m not surprised some early money has been trickling in on the dog here.
– I would be surprised if Muhammad lost to Rencountre, who is making his UFC debut on very short notice. I view Muhammad as one of the more underrated welterweights on the UFC roster and I fully expect him to come away with the win in this fight. I feel like he could easily be a 5-to-1 favorite here so there’s still a bit of value even at this opener.
