Tony Ferguson is the chosen underdog by oddsmakers in his recently announced bout with Li Jingliang.
After a difficult run at lightweight as of late with four straight losses, Ferguson and his camp have made the decision to move up to welterweight. “El Cucuy” actually earned his spot in the UFC by winning The Ultimate Fighter welterweight tournament in 2011, so it will be a homecoming for the former interim champ.
However, the odds are stacked against his triumphant return, with Ferguson opening as a +235 underdog. Jingliang, the favorite, opened at -275. MyBookie currently has the pair at +209 for Ferguson and -277 for Jingliang.
This means that a $100 wager on the American could return $209 in profit, but it will require $277 to potentially win $100 on the fighter from China.
While Jingliang has jumped between wins and losses in his last five fights, he is, of course, coming off of one of his best performances with a knockout over Muslim Salikhov in July. With devastating finishing ability like that, fans will look forward to finding out if Ferguson can turn his skid around or if he will struggle with the new size and power of the division.
Here are the opening odds for the pair’s last five fights:
Tony Ferguson’s last five fights
- vs. Michael Chandler (L): +135
- vs. Beniel Dariush (L): -125
- vs. Charles Oliveira (L): -130
- vs. Justin Gaethje (L): -180
- vs. Donald Cerrone (W): -245
Li Jingliang’s last five fights
- vs. Muslim Salikhov (W): +120
- vs. Khamzat Chimaev (L): +210
- vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (W): +235
- vs. Neil Magny (L): -270
- vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (W): +205
