Jon Jones opens as strong betting favourite for UFC 232

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has opened as a strong betting favourite to defeat Alexander Gustafsson at on Saturday night.

Despite the controversy that has dogged him over the past week, itself following a 15-month layoff due to a drugs test failure, “Bones” is a 1/3 with many bookmakers to defeat his Swedish foe at UFC 232.

The 31-year-old Jones holds a 1-0 record against “The Mauler”, having earned a controversial unanimous decision back at UFC 165 in 2013. It seems many believe he still has Gustafsson’s number following that first encounter, with the Swede the 9/4 underdog. The stakes will be equally as high this time around, with the vacant UFC light heavyweight championship set to be awarded to the main event’s winner.

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Elsewhere on the main card, Cristiane Cyborg has opened as a 2/5 favourite in her women’s featherweight title defence against reigning bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, who is the 2/1 underdog on her first step up in weight class.

Meanwhile, Michael Chiesa is 8/15 to earn the win against Carlos Condit (6/4), with the latter hoping to snap a four-match losing streak. Also of interest to bettors and long-time fans will be BJ Penn’s return to the Octagon, with the veteran being a distant 7/2 to triumph over Ryan Hall (1/5).

Featured image: “Джон Джонс- действующ” (CC BY-NC 2.0) by legendashow