Demetrious Johnson turned heads this week when he declared himself a more dominant champion than Ronda Rousey.
While many people’s immediate reaction was to discredit the UFC flyweight champion, the betting market actually validates his claim that he’s at least on the same level as the women’s bantamweight superstar. Johnson sits as a minus-900 favorite over once-beaten Kyoji Horiguchi, who comes back at plus-700, in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 186 in Montreal.
Johnson will close as a bigger favorite than Rousey has ever gone off of betting boards for the second time in a row — he was a minus-1300 favorite over Chris Cariaso last September — if the line holds until fight night.
Johnson and Rousey both have defended their belts six times in the UFC. Rousey has closed as an average minus-650 favorite, only marginally ahead of Johnson’s minus-600.
The odds imply only an 11 percent chance that Horiguchi overthrows Johnson at the Bell Centre. The Las Vegas Sun picks panel doesn’t object.
Check below for picks from ESPN Radio’s Steve Cofield (27-17 year to date), KSNV’s Randy Howe (27-17), ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto (26-18) as well as the Sun’s Ray Brewer (25-19) and Case Keefer (24-20) along with a breakdown and betting odds of every fight.
Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
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