Stipe Miocic has established himself as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC with six straight wins including three straight successful title defenses. The UFC Heavyweight Champion will look for another title defense in a dream match this Saturday against UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 226.
Miocic is a -265 betting favorite in Las Vegas at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. With a significant height and reach advantage in this fight, Miocic will try to keep his opponent at a distance with his excellent striking abilities. Five of Miocic’s last six wins have come by way of knockout, bringing his career total to 14 knockouts across an 18-2 professional career.
The only man to ever defeat Daniel Cormier (+205) in the octagon is Jon Jones. Against all other opponents, Cormier has amassed a 20-0 record over the course of his impressive career.
While Cormier has excelled in the light heavyweight class with four successful title defenses, he has a past history of success at the heavyweight level with a 13-0 record as a heavyweight before dropping to 205. The jump in weight shouldn’t bother him, and the veteran is capable of making this a better fight than the odds suggest.
In virtually any other UFC pay-per-view, Max Holloway’s defense of the featherweight championship against Brian Ortega would be the main event. Since falling to 7-3 as a professional with a loss to Conor McGregor all the way back in 2013, Holloway (-150 to defeat Ortega) has dominated the featherweight division with 12 straight wins including back-to-back wins over Jose Aldo.
Brian Ortega (+120) earned his spot as the number one contender for this title with his impressive upset over Frankie Edgar at UFC 222. With that win, Ortega improved to a perfect 14-0 as a professional with a 6-0 record in UFC action. With Ortega at just 27 years old and Holloway at 26, this match could be the first of an exciting rivalry between these two elite fighters.
Rounding out the top of the card are Francis Ngannou (-380) vs. Derrick Lewis (+290), Michael Chiesa (-160) vs. Anthony Pettis (+130) and Gokhan Saki (-145) vs. Khalil Rountree (+115). Ngannou will try to start up a new winning streak after having a 10-fight win streak snapped by Stipe Miocic at UFC 220.
UFC 226 Betting Lines
Stipe Miocic (-265) vs. Daniel Cormier (+205)
Max Holloway (-150) vs. Brian Ortega (+120)
Francis Ngannou (-380) vs. Derrick Lewis (+290)
Michael Chiesa (-160) vs. Anthony Pettis (+130)
Gokhan Saki (-145) vs. Khalil Rountree (+115)
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