Max Holloway may have earned fans’ respect by stepping in on short notice at UFC 223, but the bookmakers didn’t share in the enthusiasm.
MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened Khabib Nurmagomedov as -505 favorite, implying “The Eagle” has an 83.5 percent probability of victory in the UFC 223 headliner. Holloway stands at +365 as the underdog.
“Max Holloway is a warrior for stepping up, and I will never count the guy out,” Kalikas stated. “That being said, Holloway’s finishing ability comes from wearing down his opponent, and to me, this is a stylistically bad matchup.
“Holloway has good takedown defense, but Nurmagomedov takes people down whether they have good takedown defense or not. I’m opening this price as steep as it is because of all the factors that are coming into play, including the fact that Nurmagomedov was already a -270 betting favorite against Tony Ferguson, who is bigger, stronger and a better wrestler than Holloway. With Holloway taking this on short notice, moving up a weight class and coming off an injury that forced him out of a UFC 222 headlining bout, I’m opening Nurmagomedov as a -505 favorite with the comeback on Holloway at +365.”
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