Dana White’s Contender Series 9 takes place Tuesday, June 12 at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently released the opening odds for the full card, and here they are.
Dana White’s Contender Series 9 Opening Odds
Alonzo Menifield -600
Dashawn Boatfield +400
Chris Curtis -600
Sean Lally +400
Austen Lane -165
Greg Hardy +135
Montel Jackson -290
Rico DiSciullo +210
Kevin Holland -530
Will Santiago +350
And here are my thoughts on the opening odds for Dana White’s Contender Series 9.
– The winner of Menifield (6-0) vs. Boatwright (3-0) should get a UFC contract. Menifield has won all six of his pro fights by stoppage and is one of the best light heavyweight prospects out there, while Boatwright has finished his last two fights. Boatwright is intriguing but I think Menifield is a top prospect and he deserves to be a huge favorite to win this fight, and win a UFC contract in the process.
– The Curtis (18-5) vs. Lally (8-2) fight should be solid as well. Curtis is riding a five-fight win streak and he has fought the likes of UFC fighter Belal Muhammad in his career, while Lally has won five-straight fights. Although Curtis has the edge in experience, I feel like the odds are a bit off here as Lally is a pretty solid fighter himself. I would rather take a shot at the dog than lay big chalk on the favorite.
– The fight that is drawing the most interest on the card sees Hardy (0-0) make his pro MMA debut when he takes on Lane (4-0) in a battle of former NFL players. Hardy has won all three of his amateur fights by stoppage while Lane has knocked out all four of his pro opponents. Lane opened as the favorite here but the odds quickly flipped and now Lane is the underdog. I could honestly see either guy getting knocked out here, but Lane is the more proven fighter and as the underdog he probably has some value on him.
– Jackson (5-0) vs. DiSciullo (9-1) isn’t getting much love but it should be a pretty good fight. Jackson made his pro MMA debut just last year and has already won all five of his pro fights, while DiSciullo is currently riding a three-fight win streak. DiSciullo has more experience as he previously fought for Bellator but Jackson looks like the more promising prospect and is rightly favored here.
– Holland (12-3) vs. Santiago (9-4) is also a solid scrap. Holland has won his last three fights in MMA and has some muay Thai experience including a recent KO over UFC veteran Bubba McDaniel. Holland has quite a bit of MMA experience and has fought the likes of Rafael Lovato Jr. and Curtis Millender. Santiago has won two-straight fights by knockout and has won six of his last seven fights by KO. There’s a very good chance the winner of this fight gets the job done via knockout and there’s a good chance the winner gets a UFC contract. I get why Holland is the favorite but I think Santiago is a live dog here, so I’m looking forward to watching it.
