The fight for the UFC’s most coveted title now has a time and place. Heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum will defend his belt in his native country of Brazil against No. 2 ranked Stipe Miocic at UFC 196 on May 14.
The bout will mark Werdum’s first defense of the title since beating Cain Velasquez at UFC 188 in June 2015.
Bet on UFC 198 odds at BookMaker.eu
Fabricio Werdum -225
Stipe Miocic +175
Over/under 2.5 rounds, over -180, under +140
Please note, the odds at BookMaker are updated daily. The lines listed here may have changed since this article was posted.
ODDS ANALYSIS
When the bout first was scheduled for UFC 196, oddsmaker Joey Odessa stated, “I’m not thrilled about Stipe getting a shot and make no secret that I’m no fan. [Stipe is] an average wrestler at best for Cleveland State and a midwest Golden Gloves Champ - glorified toughman bouts. Maybe only Tim Sylvia carried with him a lesser resume when fighting for the UFC heavyweight championship and the stiff actually pulled it off.”
FINGERS CROSSED
For whatever reason, it’s been tough getting heavyweight champions into the ring healthy and ready to go. Former kingpin Cain Velasquez had to pull out of multiple fights due to injury, leading to the creation of an interim title belt that Werdum captured before unifying the belt.
Werdum and Velasquez were scheduled for an immediate rematch at the event formerly known as UFC 196, but both men pulled out due to injury. The promotion then decided to skip over the oft-injured Cain altogether and pair the champ with rising contender Stipe Miocic. While the native Clevelander isn’t as big a name, he’s looked undeniably impressive of late.
Miocic is 5-1 in his past six and is currently riding a two-fight win streak, knocking out both Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovski. He gave Hunt, a former K-1 kickboxing champion, the worst beating of his life, punishing on the feet and with ground and pound for five brutal rounds. Against Arlovski, he needed less than a minute to finish the resurgent former champion.
Now he’ll face Werdum, who has won six in a row, with names like Velasquez, Hunt, Travis Browne and Roy Nelson highlighting the streak. At 38 years old, “Vai Cavalo” appears to have reached his career peak after 10+ years in the pro fight game, developing into a fearsome Muay Thai artist to complement his world-class submission skills.
THE SMART PLAYS
I’m probably in the minority here, but I like Stipe’s chances and like his value as an underdog even better. Oddsmaker Joey Odessa’s critique was pretty harsh, and he’s underestimating Miocic’s athleticism and his complete, three-dimensional fight game. If Miocic’s payout keeps trending higher, taking the upset could net you a nice payout.
BET ON UFC FIGHTS NOW
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! You can even wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Money lines, totals, props and money line are all available now. UFC 198 takes place on Saturday, May 14 at the Arena de Baixada stadium in Curitiba, Brazil. The main card will be televised on pay-per-view following the prelims on Fox Sports 1.
