Amanda Nunes improved to 8-0 over her last eight fights and became the first ever women’s dual champion in UFC history with a win over Cris “Cyborg” Justino for the Women’s Featherweight Championship. In a bout that would be the main event on just about any other UFC card, Nunes will defend her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship this Saturday against former champion Holly Holm.
Nunes is a -400 favorite on the UFC odds to retain her title at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Brazilian superstar’s ascension to become the undisputed pound-for-pound queen of the UFC has been an impressive one. Over her current eight-fight winning streak, she defeated Miesha Tate for the championship, Ronda Rousey in her first title defense, Valentina Shevchenko twice and Justino for a second championship.
The win over Justino ended a 20-fight win streak that Cyborg had owned since 2005. Her two wins over Shevchenko are the only two losses the “Bullet” has taken since 2010 as she has gone 10-0 over all other opponents. Nunes has left no doubt who is the best in the world.
Holly Holm (+300) has defeated the best in the world once before, stunning the world with a knockout win over Ronda Rousey at UFC 193. She went on to lose her next three fights after that monumental win, but has since bounced back with wins in two of her last three fights. Owning one of the most lethal head kicks in the sport, Holm is always one well-timed strike away from an upset.
Ben Askren lived up to the hype in his UFC debut at UFC 235, picking up a convincing submission win over Robbie Lawler in the first round to improve to a perfect 19-0 as a professional. The 34-year-old will look to keep working his way up the Welterweight rankings this Saturday going off as a -225 favorite against Jorge Masvidal (+175). Masvidal is just 4-4 over his last eight fights.
Rounding out the rest of the main card of UFC 239 is Luke Rockhold (-225) vs. Jan Blachowicz (+175) and Michael Chiesa (-350) vs. Diego Sanchez (+265). Rockhold and Blachowicz are looking to bounce back from losses to Yoel Romero and Thiago Santos, respectively.
UFC 239 Betting Lines
Jon Jones (-750) vs. Thiago Santos (+475)
Amanda Nunes (-400) vs. Holly Holm (+300)
Ben Askren (-225) vs. Jorge Masvidal (+175)
Luke Rockhold (-225) vs. Jan Blachowicz (+175)
Michael Chiesa (-350) vs. Diego Sanchez (+265)
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