Since losing to Conor McGregor back in the early stages of his career in 2013, Max Holloway has developed into one of the best fighters in the world and is a perfect 12-0 over his last 12 fights. Holloway will defend his UFC Featherweight Championship this Saturday night in the main event of UFC 231 against Brian Ortega.
Max Holloway is a very slight underdog to retain his title at -110 on the UFC 231 odds in Toronto at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The 27-year-old has had a frustrating year thus far as he has been forced to pull out of each of his last three fights due to injuries. The hiatus has slowed down some of the momentum Holloway had coming off of back-to-back wins over Jose Aldo, but a win over Ortega would salvage 2018 for the champion.
Brian Ortega (-120 to win this fight) is a perfect 14-0-0 as a professional. When Holloway pulled out of his fight against Frankie Edgar at UFC 222, Ortega took the match on short notice and cashed in on his opportunity with a first round knockout to become the number one contender in the flyweight division. If Holloway is at 100% coming off of his injuries, this match should be an outstanding one between two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
In the co-main event, betting favorite Valentina Shevchenko (-360) will defend her UFC Flyweight Championship against Joanna Jedrzejczyk (+270). After seeing a dominant 8-0 championship run through the strawweight division come to an end at the hand of back-to-back losses to Rose Namajunas, Jedrzejczyk has moved back up to the weight class at which she debuted in the UFC. This could be a more competitive fight than the betting odds indicate if Jedrzejczyk doesn’t struggle with adapting to a new weight class.
Rounding out the main card this Saturday are Jimi Manuwa (+165) vs. Thiago Santos (-205), Gunnar Nelson (-150) vs. Alex Oliveira (+120) and Hakeem Dawodu (-175) vs. Kyle Bochniak (+145). Manuwa and Santos are going in different directions of late with Manuwa entering this bout on a two-fight losing streak and Santos coming in with wins in six of his last seven.
UFC 231 Betting Lines
Max Holloway (-110) vs. Brian Ortega (-120)
Valentina Shevchenko (-360) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (+270)
Jimi Manuwa (+165) vs. Thiago Santos (-205)
Gunnar Nelson (-150) vs. Alex Oliveira (+120)
Hakeem Dawodu (-175) vs. Kyle Bochniak (+145)
For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.