UFC 254 takes place this weekend and the co-main event between Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier has seen some significant changes when it comes to the betting odds.
The magnitude of the fight is huge as the winner will more than likely be next in line to challenge Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title.
And when the fight was initially booked, Cannonier opened as the -145 favorite while Whittaker was a slight +115 underdog.
However, the lines have shifted considerably with just a few days to go for the fight as Cannonier now ranges from a -110 to -123 favorite while “The Reaper” ranges from a -102 to -115 underdog depending on the oddsmaker you choose.
That means you would have to bet $110 to earn $100 on a Cannonier victor while a $102 stake on Whittaker would net you $100 in profit. The fight is essentially a pick ’em at this point with Cannonier being the slightest of favorites.
It’s easy to see why it’s so close as it’s an extremely tough fight to call. Whittaker returned to the win column with hard-fought unanimous decision win over Darren Till in July.
Cannonier, meanwhile, has been on a tear since moving down to middleweight with three straight knockout wins. However, hasn’t competed since September of last year.
Here are the opening odds for the pair’s last five fights:
Robert Whittaker last five fights
- vs. Darren Till (W): -135
- vs. Israel Adesanya (L): -185
- vs. Yoel Romero (W): -150
- vs. Yoel Romero (W): +120
- vs. Ronaldo Souza (W): +150
Jared Cannonier last five fights
- vs. Jack Hermansson (W): +160
- vs. Anderson Silva (W): -240
- vs. David Branch (W): +220
- vs. Dominick Reyes (L): +160
- vs. Jan Blachowicz (L): -215