UFC 193: Expert Betting Odds Analysis

UFC 193 will feature two of the biggest betting favorites in the history of the sport when Ronda Rousey defends her UFC women’s bantamweight title against Holly Holm, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk defends her women’s strawweight belt against Valerie Letourneau. Finding betting lines juiced beyond belief, UFC commentator Jon Anik breaks down the two title fights at UFC 193 to see who he leans towards and if there is any value in betting.

Ronda Rousey vs Holly Holm

At this point we all know Rousey’s impressive resume inside the ring with ‘The Rowdy One’ has posted a 12-0 career record with just one fight making it out of the first round.

“While I'm intrigued to see a new and different stylistic challenge for Rousey, I think the results are going be more of the same,” Anik explains.

There has been talk, even from Rousey herself, that this fight could be the second to make it past the first round. Holm has a long and storied history in the boxing ring and held several titles in that sport before transitioning to MMA.

“Some suggest this fight will go longer than previous Rousey title defenses. Perhaps,” Anik postulates. “But while Holm may have solid cage generalship, footwork, and boxing skills to extend Rousey, I don't think she'll be able to handle Rousey's athleticism, physicality, and grappling skills. I'd still take a long look at a prop on Rousey to finish Holm in the first or second round.”

“If you pick a second-round prop, for example, you might be able to get a reasonable price,” Anik says.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Valerie Letourneau

Jedrzejczyk has a legitimate claim to being called the best pure striker in MMA with an extensive history in both muay thai and boxing. If you have any doubt, just look at what she did to the faces of her last two opponents.

“On paper, JJ is the biggest favorite in UFC history at north of -2100 and while few fighters deserve that distinction, you can make the case that she does against Valerie Letourneau,” says Anik. “Jedrzejczyk might just be the best pure striker in the sport and is just on a different level than the opposition here.”

Most fight fans look at Letourneau and expect her to be in way over her head in this fight. The women’s strawweight division is the newest in the UFC and has yet to fully realize its potential with several young fighters being moulded now.

“If you want action on the fight, I would look for a prop on Jedrzejczyk to finish the fight inside of 15 minutes,” says Anik. “But you still aren't going to get a great price.”

Final Word

“This card is pretty huge for the promotion. Not only are we are ushering in yet another market in Australia with this stadium show in Melbourne, but we are doing so with the two most dominant women in the sport today in Ronda Rousey and Joanna Jedrzejczyk,” Anik says. “That said, from a betting perspective, the top of this fight card just screams 'stay away'.”

“UFC 193 features two of the biggest favorites in UFC championship history. So the advice is to watch and enjoy and find other betting opportunities down the fight card,” Anik determines.