ufc_207_posterUFC 207 takes place Friday, Dec. 30 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. As of Thursday, oddsmakers have women’s bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes (+130) the underdog as she goes into her first title defense against former Octagon queen Ronda Rousey (-140) in the main event. Nunes has won her last four fights in a row, most recently submitting Miesha Tate in July to claim the title. With 13 wins on her resume, Nunes has finished 9 opponents via knockout and 3 by submission. She has 4 losses on her record, lastly getting TKO’d by Cat Zingano in Sept. 2014. Rousey hasn’t fought since she was knocked out by Holly Holm in November 2015. Prior to that she had finished all 12 previous opponents she faced since turning pro in 2011. For the record, she holds a 14-second submission win over Zingano — who as previously mentioned, was the last person to defeat Nunes.

A lot of people are doubting Ronda in this fight. The way she handled her loss to Holm, and her refusal to do media for this event has led people to believe she is somehow mentally weak. But how many of those people have walked in the kind of shoes Rousey has worn? I will tell you. Zero. No one knows what it was like to accomplish all she had, usher the women’s division into the UFC, become a movie star, a millionaire, and demolish every opponent she faced in quite a short span of time — and all before the age of 30! And then to have it come crashing down the way it did had to be terribly devastating. But make no mistake, the girl is a champion. Her refusal to do media this time was so she could focus entirely on what was important to her — winning. The weigh-ins show us she is prepared. Can she reclaim the throne or will Nunes’s striking prove to be too much?

Here are the full betting odds for UFC 207 (courtesy 5Dimes)

  • Amanda Nunes (+130) vs. Ronda Rousey (-140)
  • Cody Garbrandt (+190) vs. Dominick Cruz (-210)
  • John Lineker (+220) vs. TJ Dillashaw (-240)
  • Johny Hendricks (+130) vs. Neil Magny (-140)
  • Dong Hyun Kim (-140) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (+130)
  • Alex Garcia (-170) vs. Mike Pyle (+160)
  • Louis Smolka (+120) vs. Ray Borg (-130)
  • Alex Oliveira (+100) vs. Tim Means (-110)
  • Antonio Carlos Junior (-135) vs. Marvin Bettori (+125)
  • Brandon Thatch (-170) vs. Niko Price (+160)

The co-main event men’s bantamweight title fight between Dominick Cruz (-210) and Cody Garbrandt (+190) is also an incredibly intriguing bout as Garbrandt pits his power against the evasive striking of the champ. Five rounds is a long time to keep up the Fred Astaire footwork for Cruz without getting caught with one of Garbrandt’s bombs that can shut the lights out. But if anyone can pull it off it’s Cruz. Oddsmakers have Cruz the favorite, which is understandable since he hasn’t lost in nearly a decade. However, over half of Cruz’s 22 wins have been by decision, whereas Garbrandt has knocked out 9 of the 10 opponents he has beaten. It’s going to be a good one!

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