The top half of the main card at the 214th UFC betting event on July 29th at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California is adorned by three championship matches.
Daniel Cormier (c) vs. Jon Jones
Light Heavyweight Championship match
Offshore sportsbook odds for fans who bet on UFC:
Daniel Cormier – 4½ (-165) +220
Jon Jones – 4½ (+145) -260
Cormier is at the top of his game as the current reigning and defending champion who has successfully defended his title twice – most recently in a submission win over Anthony Johnson at UFC 210 on April 8, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. However, it could be argued that all of his success in the lightweight division is rendered meaningless unless and until he beats the only man who has ever defeated him as well as the man who never lost the belt inside the octagon.
Jon ‘Bones’ Jones held – and still holds – the UFC record for most successful and most consecutive light heavyweight title defenses (8) when he was stripped of the title on November 9th, 2016, making him the first UFC fighter to be stripped of a championship on two occasions.
Tyron Woodley (c) vs. Demian Maia UFC betting preview
Welterweight Championship match
Odds for fans who bet on UFC:
Demian Maia – 2½ (+115) +185
Tyron Woodley – 2½ (-135) -225
T-Wood is undefeated in his last five straight fights, including three title matches. He won the welterweight belt from Robbie Lawler at UFC 201 on July 30, 2016 in Atlanta, retained it in a draw against Stephen Thompson at UFC 205 on November 12, 2016 in New York, and won the rematch versus Thompson at UFC 209 this March.
Demian Augusto Maia Baptista is on a seven-fight winning streak, including a win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 211 this May in Dallas. This will be the Brazilian’s second title shot in the UFC – he lost a Middleweight Championship match to Anderson Silva at UFC 112 on April 10, 2010. “When I fought Anderson (Silva), I was like, ‘This is the biggest fight of my life, and this is going to happen.’ You’re dreaming too much about the future, the tomorrow,” Maia told the MMA Hour. “Fighting Tyron I need to know that it doesn’t matter what happens after this.”
Cristiane Justino vs. Tonya Evinger UFC betting preview
For the abeyant Women’s Featherweight Championship
Cristiane Justino Venâncio has won her last seven straight fights, including her first two UFC fights; against Leslie Smith at UFC 198 on May 14, 2016 and against Lina Länsberg Fight Night 95 on September 24, 2016.
Evinger vacated the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship on July 3rd in order to sign with UFC – in a move reminiscent of Justino, who vacated the Invicta Featherweight title prior to her UFC debut. Evinger has not lost since July 29th, 2011 when she dropped a unanimous decision to Sara McMann at Titan FC 19 (she originally lost to Yana Kunitskaya at Invicta FC 20 on November 18, 2016 but the result was overturned to a no-contest after Evinger successfully appealed).