Early betting odds heading into UFC 216

As seen on Sky Bet, the early betting odds for the headline fight between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee at UFC 216 have been released. The two will throw down on October 7^th in Las Vegas, with the winner potentially setting up a future date with current lightweight champion Conor McGregor.

The bout will be for the interim title belt given that the Irishman has been busy with his recent boxing ventures, however that doesn’t detract from what a huge fight this is. Ferguson is riding an extremely impressive winning streak meanwhile Lee could be one of the next big things within the UFC, making this one of the most intriguing fights of 2017.

Still, there’s often a favourite and an underdog, as in the case here – with Ferguson opening as a 2/5 favourite.

It makes sense given that he’s been on the run of his career over the last few years, and his cancelled bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov last year actually helped his cause in terms of building up his stock.

Lee, on the other hand, is out at 15/8 to pick up the win which will suit him just fine. He’s always been undervalued or underrated throughout his tenure in MMA and this’ll be no different, which could point towards Ferguson making sure that he doesn’t underestimate his opponent.

216 as an event has been largely criticised for having a lack of star power, which is mainly due to the fact that Stipe Miocic vs Cain Velasquez was supposed to be the intended main event. Still, the addition of the re-organised Demetrious Johnson vs Ray Borg will give it a good boost and we just know that Ferguson vs Lee is going to be an absolute war.

More betting odds will be released as we get closer and closer to the actual date itself, but the most important note of all is that Tony will be coming into this fight with more pressure on his shoulders than ever before. With so many fans not being familiar with his work, this could be something of a coming out show for him.

UFC 217 is getting all of the attention right now which may not lead to great buy rates for this upcoming Vegas show, however it poses the possibility of the UFC creating a new top star in the lightweight division. One way or another, we’re confident in saying that Conor will be watching this one every closely.