Dana White’s Contender Series 82 takes place on Tuesday, September 17, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The offshore sportsbooks recently opened up the betting odds for the event, and MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin looks at the opening odds below.
Opening Odds For Dana White’s Contender Series 82
Mackson Lee -150
Hecher Sosa +130
Mahamed Aly -200
Iwo Baraniewski +170
Adam Livingston -145
Thomas Gantt +125
Paddy McCorry -200
In Su Hwang +170
Raphael Uchegbu -150
Cody Chovancek +130
Here are my initial thoughts on the Opening Odds For Dana White’s Contender Series 82:
The bantamweights meet when Mackson Lee fights Hecher Sosa. Lee is a 26-year-old Brazilian who is undefeated in his MMA career with a 9-0 record. Lee comes to DWCS from LFA, where he has won his last two fights by stoppage. As for Sosa, he is a 30-year-old Spanish fighter who has 10 straight fights. Both of these prospects look like they could be good additions to the UFC, but with Lee being undefeated in his MMA career so far, it’s understandable why the oddsmakers opened him up as the slight betting favorite here.
In light heavyweight action, Mahamed Aly fights Iwo Baraniewski. Aly is 31 and he is just 4-0 in MMA, with a win over former UFC fighter Jared Gooden in his last outing. Before becoming an MMA fighter, Aly had a ton of grappling experience. Interestingly enough, despite being a BJJ wizard by trade, three of his four wins in MMA have come by knockout. As for Baraniewski, he is 26, and he is undefeated in his MMA career with a 5-0 record, with his wins coming by a mixture of knockouts and submissions. On paper, this looks like a terrific fight between two very intriguing light heavyweight prospects, a division the UFC badly needs new blood in. Given that Aly just beat a notable name in Gooden in his last fight, it makes sense he is favored here.