UFC 205 takes place Nov. 12 from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Eddie Alvarez defends his lightweight championship against featherweight champ Conor McGregor in the main event. Tyron Woodley puts his welterweight championship on the line against Stephen Thompson in the co-main event. And Joanna Jedrzejczyk defends her women’s bantamweight crown against Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
If you are one who likes to bet on sports, or are into boxing betting, but have never tried your hand at MMA betting, this could be the card to get your feet wet. The UFC has pulled out all the stops for this card and there are a few potential upsets that could fatten your wallet.
If you think Woodley (+170) will successfully defend his belt against “Wonderboy” Thompson (-200), a $100 bet will return $170 for you if the champ keeps his title. Woodley has big KO power and superb wrestling. If Thompson is going to take out Woodley, he’s going to have to stay very mobile, which he is good at with his point-style fighting. However, can he remain mobile enough over five rounds without getting caught by the power that put former champ Robbie Lawler to sleep back in July? Or can he avoid Woodley’s takedowns and grappling prowess over 25 minutes? Woodley will certainly have the advantage should it go to the ground and has finished nearly one-third of his 16 wins via submission. He’s very well-rounded whereas Thompson is mostly known for his striking.
Another potential upset is the main event. Oddsmakers have featherweight champ McGregor (-155) the favorite even though he’s moving up to 155-pounds to face defending lightweight champ Alvarez. McGregor has 17 knockouts on his resume, while Alvarez has 15. However, Alvarez also has seven wins by submission, whereas McGregor only has one. Can the Irishman add another belt and another knockout to his pedigree, or will the former Bellator champ prove he’s on another level? A pure standup game would likely favor Conor, but Alvarez is good at mixing things up and a well-timed takedown will give the Philadelphia fighter a big advantage. While the payout isn’t that great on an Alvarez bet, the potential is there for an upset, and perhaps as part of a parlay, you could add this one to your list of UFC 205 bets to make.
Other potential upsets to consider: Jim Miller (+145) over Thiago Alves (-165), Tim Boetsch (+140) over Rafael Natal (-160), and Kelvin Gastelum (+145) over Donald Cerrone (-165).
Here’s the full UFC 205 betting odds (via 5dimes):
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
- Lightweight Championship: Eddie Alvarez (+135) vs. Conor McGregor (-155)
- Welterweight Championship: Tyron Woodley (+170) vs. Stephen Thompson (-200)
- Women’s Strawweight Championship: Joanna Jędrzejczyk (-370) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (+310)
- Middleweight: Chris Weidman (-165) vs. Yoel Romero (+145)
- Welterweight: Kelvin Gastelum (+145) vs. Donald Cerrone (-165)
- Women’s Bantamweight: Miesha Tate (-185) vs. Raquel Pennington (+160)
Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)
- Featherweight: Frankie Edgar (-335) vs. Jeremy Stephens (+275)
- Lightweight: Khabib Nurmagomedov (-280) vs. Michael Johnson (+240)
- Middleweight: Rashad Evans (+200) vs. Tim Kennedy (-240)
- Welterweight: Vicente Luque (n/a) vs. Belal Muhammad (n/a)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
- Lightweight: Jim Miller (+145) vs. Thiago Alves (-165)
- Middleweight: Rafael Natal (-160) vs. Tim Boetsch (+140)
- Women’s Bantamweight: Liz Carmouche (+165) vs. Katlyn Chookagian (-190)