Vegas has Ronda Rousey as a slim favorite heading into UFC 207
Ronda Rousey was downright dominant during her time as UFC champion, but things have changed for “Rowdy” in the eyes of oddsmakers.
As of Thursday, Rousey was a -150 favorite against current champion Amanda Nunes, according to sportsbook William Hill, heading into UFC 207 on Friday night. That means a bettor could win around $65 with just a $150 bet on Rousey.
On the contrary, opponent Nunes is a +135 underdog headed into her first title defense.
The incredibly close line is new territory for Rousey. She’s been heavily favored in all of her fights, including her 2014 bout against Sara McMann, where she entered as a -420 favorite and finished the fight in just 1:06.
Things only got more expensive for Rousey bettors as her next fight, a UFC 175 scrap against Alexis Davis, garnered her a -1200 line. From there, she dropped back down to -720 against Cat Zingano at UFC 194. But after stopping the No. 1 contender in just 14 seconds, she skyrocketed to -1600 and -1800 for her bouts against Bethe Correia and Holly Holm, respectively.
Some sportsbooks got killed after Holm knocked out Rousey at UFC 193, so they’ve obviously tempered expectations for her first fight back in over a year against a very talented opponent.
But if Rousey shows up and is as dominant as she once was, she could end up rewarding faithful bettors with some easy money on Friday.