T.J. Dillashaw won the UFC Bantamweight Championship with a victory against Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217 and then successfully defended the title in their rematch at UFC 227. Dillashaw will try to become a double champion this Saturday when he faces Henry Cejudo for the UFC Flyweight Championship in the main event of UFC Fight Night 143.
The current UFC Bantamweight champion is a -230 favorite on the UFC odds to defeat Cejudo in Brooklyn at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. To make weight for this fight, Dillashaw dropped 29 pounds from 154 down to 125 in a 12-week span. If he is successful in winning the title, he will become the fourth fighter behind Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunez to be a simultaneous champion of two divisions.
With his upset win as a +350 underdog over Demetrious Johnson at UFC 227, Henry Cejudo became the first Olympic gold medalist to ever capture a UFC championship. Before that loss, Johnson had won 13 straight fights and successfully defended this title 11 times. Cejudo is getting a bit more respect on the betting boards this time around but is still a +180 underdog to defend his title.
In the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 143, former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy will make his UFC debut as a -550 betting favorite facing Allen Crowder (+375). Hardy is 3-0 with three first-round knockout wins through the first three fights of his professional MMA career which began in June of 2018. A high profile domestic violence case cost Hardy his NFL career and has led to plenty of controversy around his hiring by the UFC, but Dana White believes that he has paid his debt to society on that front and deserves the chance to succeed.
Other fights on the main card on Saturday night include Gregor Gillespie (-550) vs. Yancy Medeiros (+375), Joseph Benavidez (-240) vs. Dustin Ortiz (+190) and Paige VanZant (-160) vs. Rachael Ostovich (+130). Gregor Gillespie is a perfect 12-0 through the first 12 fights of his professional career including a 5-0 record in the UFC since joining the organization in September of 2016.
UFC Fight Night 143 Betting Lines
T.J. Dillashaw (-230) vs. Henry Cejudo (+180)
Greg Hardy (-550) vs. Allen Crowder (+375)
Gregor Gillespie (-550) vs. Yancy Medeiros (+375)
Joseph Benavidez (-240) vs. Dustin Ortiz (+190)
Paige Vanzant (-160) vs. Rachael Ostovich (+130)
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.