It’s a slow week for MMA, with no UFC events to keep us entertained through the weekend. Consider it the calm before the storm, because next week’s UFC 207 is looking to close the year out with a bang. On the fight card, there are seven combined champions and former champions and two title fights. Plus, we get the return of Ronda Rousey, who was the UFC’s biggest superstar before Conor McGregor.
We’ll get into detailed fight previews next week. Today, let’s go over the odds and the reasons you should be hyped.
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Main Event
Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Amanda Nunes +150 vs. Ronda Rousey -189
So many questions here beg your attention. The first is whether Rousey can the serial killer she was before getting humiliated by Holly Holm and globally jeered at in her loss. She suffered deep depression, contemplated suicide and couldn’t even bite an apple for 6 months because Holm broke her face. You’ve got to be nearly superhuman to regain your mojo afater that.
As for Nunes, we’ve got plenty of questions for her too. Are her cardio problems behind her? Is she the destroyer that retired Miesha Tate and owned Sara McMann? Because if that’s the Nunes we can expect, she’s poised to become one of the most dominant champions in the UFC. Nobody has her blend of knockout power, Muay Thai and BJJ.
Co-Main Event
Men’s Bantamweight Championship
Cody Garbrandt +160 vs. Dominick Cruz -200
This is the the best current grudge match in the UFC. These two dudes hate each other and there’s nothing manufactured about it. Cruz has beef with all of Team Alpha Male, and he’s beaten every fighter that the top gym has put forth. Now it’s Garbrandt’s turn.
You might hate Cruz’s style, but you gotta respect the fact that it has spawned imitators like T.J. Dillashaw. You also gotta respect Garbrandt’s power - the 25-year is already a stud with 10-0 record, nine of which have come by way of knockout. Watching him chase Cruz around trying to knock his jaw off sounds like a great time to me.
Heavyweights
Cain Velasquez -225 vs Fabricio Werdum +189
Werdum stunned then-champion Velasquez at UFC 188 in Mexico City, punishing the AKA product like nobody has ever done before. There was just one big caveat: Velasquez was completely unprepared for the Mexico City altitude, leaving the famously well-conditioned heavyweight exhausted after one round.
Now that he’s fighting at sea level, can Velasquez avenge the worst loss of his career? If he does, he’s likely to get the opportunity to become a three-time UFC champion. Many, myself included, feel that he still has the potential to be the best heavyweight on the roster.
Quick Hits
Neil Magny vs. Johny Hendricks
T.J. Dillashaw vs. John Lineker
Hendricks’ decline has been steep and sudden, but he gets one last chance to prove he still belongs in the contender discussion. Magny was on the verge of consideration until a shocking first-round loss to Lorenz Larkin this past August. This is a bounce-back fight for both men, but the risk is bigger for Hendricks. A loss would sink his record to 1-4 in his past five, while a win for Magny would be the biggest of his career.
There are a good number of fans and experts that believe Dillashaw should still be champion - his January loss to Cruz was a razor thin decision. The Team Elevation fighter bounced back with a win over Raphael Assuncao, and now gets surging knockout artist John Lineker in what is basically a title eliminator.
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How to Bet
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UFC 207 takes place on Saturday, December 30, 2016 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card airs on pay-per-view starting 5 p.m. ET.
