Today, it was revealed that Leon Edwards will face Khamzat Chimaev in an important welterweight bout on Dec. 19.
Shortly after Ariel Helwani of
Chimaev, the unranked welterweight, opened as the underdog at +150. Edwards, the proven contender in the division, started at odds of -175.
UFC Fight Night: Khamzat Chimaev (+150) vs. Leon Edwards (-175) https://t.co/lqtLhiR9DH @KChimaev @Leon_edwardsmma
— BestFightOdds (@BestFightOdds) October 23, 2020
But it didn’t take long for the Edwards vs. Chimaev betting line to shift dramatically.
At the time we recorded this video, Chimaev had already cruised into position as the betting favorite. At odds of -140, Chimaev is a slight favorite in December. Edwards moved out to the betting underdog and can now be found at odds of +120.
It’s an extraordinary fight and these betting odds are no different.
Matthew Wells says that he’d 100% put money on Edwards as the underdog. He says that Edwards is an accomplished welterweight fighter with a very well-rounded skill set that has proven to be frustrating for even seasoned fighters. Wells is confident that fans are buying too much into Khamzat Chimaev’s recent one-punch KO win against Gerald Meerschaert.
Ant Walker is simply at a loss for words. He says that we have all of this footage of Edwards against the best welterweight fighters in the world and yet he’s the betting underdog against a fighter that we haven’t even seen compete against a ranked UFC fighter yet.
To remind fans that betting lines can be crazy, the pair reflect on the outrageous odds for Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor when that fight happened. Wells says Mayweather should have been the biggest favorite in sports betting history against Conor McGregor but fans rushed to put money on McGregor and pushed the line down so that he was only a moderate underdog.
Chimaev is in for a rude awakening, Leon Edwards has great wrestling and top notch striking, reference the gunner Nelson and Vicente Luque fights.