UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van has opened up as the betting underdog for his upcoming title defense rematch against Alexandre Pantoja.
Despite beating Pantoja last year at UFC 323 via first-round injury TKO to win the UFC flyweight title, Van opened as the underdog for the rematch with Pantoja.
According to FightOdds.io, Van opened as a +100 underdog, with Pantoja as a -120 favorite, for their rematch at UFC 331.
Joshua Van Has Value as the Dog
Even with their first fight ending via injury, it’s impossible to say that Van doesn’t have betting value as the underdog in the rematch with Pantoja.
While Pantoja was a fantastic champion, he is also 36 years old, which is old for the flyweight division. Van, meanwhile, is only 24, and he has been staying active since their first fight, coming off a TKO win over top-ranked flyweight fighter Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328.
While Pantoja certainly has the tools necessary to win this fight, seeing him as the favorite is a bit odd given that Van won their first fight and has made a successful title defense since then.
We’ll see how the odds shift from here, but don’t be surprised at all if Van ends up closing as the betting favorite.
Arman Tsarukyan Opens as Favorite Over Mauricio Ruffy
In the co-main event of UFC 331, Arman Tsarukyan faces Mauricio Ruffy in a highly anticipated five-round lightweight bout.
For this fight, Tsarukyan opened up as a -350 favorite, with Ruffy as a +280 underdog.
These odds make sense, since Tsarukyan has an awesome wrestling game that is difficult to deal with, and we’ve seen that Ruffy’s ground game isn’t all that, as he was taken down and finished on the ground by Benoit Saint Denis in his lone UFC loss.
But we also know that Ruffy is one of the most dangerous strikers in the entire UFC lightweight division, so if he can keep this fight on the feet against Tsarukyan, he absolutely can land a big shot on Tsarukyan and put him out cold.
The fact that Ruffy has a puncher’s chance makes this UFC 331 co-main event fight extremely intriguing.
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