Cris “Cyborg” Justino will not only make her first UFC featherweight title defense at UFC 219, she’ll do it against the biggest active star near her weight class: former bantamweight champion Holly Holm. Feel free to call it a superfight: this is the biggest women’s matchup that can be made right now.
As expected, Holm is a huge underdog in this matchup - Cyborg has destroyed 18 straight opponents since losing her pro debut in 2005. But we all know what happened the last time “The Preacher’s Daughter” was facing a seemingly unbeatable fighter.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and go through an early analysis of the matchup. Then we’ll break down your best early betting option.
Opening UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Cris Cyborg -394
Holly Holm +298
Over/under 1.5 rounds, over -207, under +175
Matchup Breakdown
Aside from the loss in her first pro fight, Cyborg has yet to be seriously tested in her MMA career. That’s right: not one fighter has ever given the Brazilian mauler any sort of adversity in over 12 years. Rousey’s dominance is nothing compared to what Cyborg is doing - former featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie vacated the belt and fled instead of opting to face her.
It’s hard to fault GDR; Cyborg has a tendency to scare the pants off other fighters. She is the most impressive physical specimen in WMMA history. A generational athlete with explosive power, it might be another 20 years before we ever see another woman with her physical blessings.
The most terrifying part of it all is that Cyborg is getting better. Once just a swarmer who overwhelmed opponents with a whirlwind of Muay Thai, the 32-year old has elevated her game since coming to the UFC. In three octagon appearances, we’ve seen much more patient, polished Cyborg. Her head and body movement is picture perfect, and her combinations are much tighter.
So does Holm have any chance here? The knee-jerk reaction is no. She might have been able to counterstrike her way to victory against the old Cyborg, but Justino is no longer a brawler. If Germaine de Randamie and Valentina Shevchenko could beat Holm to the punch, the hand speed of Cyborg is going to cause serious issues.
Cyborg also has a trump card with her wrestling. Miesha Tate exposed Holm’s lack of defense on the ground, and the bigger Cyborg would likely be able to muscle Holm to the ground if she chose to go that route. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Justino would carve up her opponent with ease.
Early UFC Betting Tips
Cyborg’s price will only get more expensive from here on out, so lay the price now or use it as a parlay booster. The other option here would be the rounds over, which is more than 100 points cheaper. While Justino could probably finish the fight early if she wanted, the Brazilian knows this is a huge opportunity to gain new fans and will likely want to maximize her ring time.
UFC Odds Pick: Cyborg to win at -394
Bet on UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
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UFC 219 takes place on Saturday, December 30, 2017 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card airs live on pay-per-view starting 9 p.m.
