Let’s have a quick look at the UFC current odds of the main fight:
The best featherweights in the world take center stage on July 27 in the Ultimate Fighting Challenge’s first stop north of the border in Canada in more than half a year.
Jerome “Max” Holloway, the current UFC featherweight champion, will defend his title in UFC 240 against 37-year-old fellow American Frank Edgar, a former UFC lightweight champion and the current No. 4 in the featherweight rankings.
“I just can’t wait. We’ve been getting ready for this guy for a couple years now,” said Holloway of the fight with Edgar that has been cancelled twice before because of injuries.
The 27-year-old Holloway (-400) is the overwhelming favorite in the headline bout in UFC 240 Odds, while Edgar (+300) is a huge underdog in his ninth championship fight (UFC Odds provided by Bovada).
The 12-bout card will be held at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. It will mark the first big UFC event in Canada since Holloway defeated Brian Ortega by TKO last year on Dec. 8 at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena.
UFC 240 can be seen on pay-per-view channels, on the UFC mobile app or at sports books across the country, including plush viewing venues like the Bellagio or Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip.
There are four other matchups on the main card, although none of them are for a championship belt. There are seven fights on the undercard, which starts at 6:30 p.m. ET.
One of the fights of the night includes the return of Cris Cyborg, who climbs back into the Octagon after suffering her first loss since 2005. The 34-year-old Cyborg (-600 in UFC Betting Odds) has 17 career knockout victories. She squares off against Felicia Spencer (+400) in the women’s featherweight division.
Geoff Neal (-270) looks to continue his climb in the welterweight division with a victory over Niko Price (+210) in one of the other three matches on the main card. Neal has won five fights in a row, while Price seeks his second straight victory in 2019.
In the two other main card bouts, Olivier Aubin-Mercier (+190) battles Arman Tsarukyan (-240), while Marc-Andre Barriault (+145) collides with Krzysztof Jotko (-175).
Aubin-Mercier is searching for his first victory since April of last year, while Tsarukyan makes his second trip into the Octagon after losing his debut in April. This is just the second UFC fight for Barriault, who was a two-time division champion in TKO. Jotko ended a three-fight losing streak in April with a decisive decision victory.
The two picks on the main card in UFC Vegas Odds are both huge favorites to win lopsided matches. Cyborg and Holloway have 20 victories each in their UFC careers. Let’s take a look at their bouts and try to pick a winner in each.
Cyborg suffered her first knockout defeat to multiple division champion Amanda Nunes in December in UFC 232. She had won 20 straight fights before that devastating loss.
“I’m happy that my next fight is in Canada,” Cyborg said. “I have a lot of fans in Canada but never fought there before.”
The Brazilian native, who has a career 20-2 record, is hoping for a rematch with Nunes and will use this bout against the undefeated Spencer as a springboard towards that goal. Spencer, who won her UFC debut in May, claimed the Invicta featherweight title last November to earn a shot at the big leagues.
This is a tough assignment for the Canadian who has won all seven of her MMA fights, but she can certainly make a name for herself with a victory over this UFC titan.
Pick — Cyborg (-600). Spencer showed her inexperience in her first visit to the Octagon in May, which could make for a short night for the 28-year-old from Montreal. There is little room for error against Cyborg, who has her eyes set on the top prize.
A win for Holloway in the main event will give him his third title defense at 145 pounds and his 14th straight victory in the division.
So, the good news? Holloway hasn’t lost a featherweight fight in six years. The bad news? “Blessed” enters the cage in UFC 240 following a loss to Dustin Poirier in April in the lightweight division in UFC 236.
“It’s only a loss if you haven’t learned from something, if you haven’t learned from it. And I learned from it, you know,” said Holloway on the most recent setback.
Still, lessons learned or not, the featherweight king will have to be at the top of his game to slow an old warrior, who hasn’t fought since April 2018. Edgar has faced many top-ranked fighters before. Sure, he has amassed some scars along the way, but Edgar is anything but a pretender.
Holloway needs to be focused on the task at hand, and not caught looking too far down the road to his next big fight.
Pick — Holloway (-400).
Holloway has a noticeable size advantage that should allow him to pick Edgar apart. Also of note, Holloway has a 20-4 record in MMA, with 10 wins by knockout, two by submission and eight by decision. Edgar has a 23-6 record, with seven victories by knockout, four by submission and 12 by decision.
Holloway has never been knocked out and Edgar has been knocked out once, making the best prop bet a victory by decision.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
