Max Holloway vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov Early Betting Odds Released

It didn’t take long for oddsmakers to release the betting odds for Max Holloway vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov.

It’s well known by now that the fight between Tony Ferguson and Nurmagomedov has been canceled due to Ferguson suffering an injury.

Now, the current UFC featherweight champion is set to take on Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title in the main event of the upcoming UFC 223 pay-per-view event.

MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened Nurmagomedov as a -505 favorite for the fight. Holloway stands at +365 as the underdog.

For those looking to place bets on this title fights, let’s break down those odds.

If you place a winning $100 bet on Nurmagomedov then it would earn you a net profit of $19.80. On the flip side, a winning $100 bet on Holloway would net a profit of $365.

“Max Holloway is a warrior for stepping up, and I will never count the guy out,” Kalikas stated to MMA Junkie. “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.”

UFC 223 is set to take place on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.