UFC 200 Odds: Brock Lesnar Pegged As Underdog In His Return To Octagon

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar makes his return to the octagon at UFC 200 on Saturday night, taking on Mark Hunt as a +140 odds underdog at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

It has been four years since Lesnar last faced a UFC opponent, suffering a stunning first-round loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141. That dropped Lesnar’s UFC record to 4-3 heading into Saturday night’s Hunt vs. Lesnar matchup at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

That loss to Overeem as a +105 underdog marked Lesnar’s second consecutive first-round defeat after he took a beating on punches from Cain Velasquez as a heavy -210 favorite at UFC 121, which cost him the UFC heavyweight crown and set the stage for his return to professional wrestling.

Hunt will make his second appearance in the Octagon this year as a solid -170 betting favorite. The 42-year-old Super Samoan has been dominant in his past two fights, knocking out Frank Mir with a single punch just over three minutes into the first round at UFC Fight Night 85, paying out as -140 chalk just five months after handing Antonio Silva a first-round TKO loss at UFC 193 as a big -270 favorite.

With those recent performances in mind, Hunt has emerged as a -110 favorite to end the fight inside the distance, with the odds of the fight not lasting one full round pegged at -145.

Saturday night’s main event features the long-awaited Jon Jones-Daniel Cormier rematch, with the undisputed UFC light heavyweight crown on the line. Jones, who currently holds the interim light heavyweight title, opened as -250 chalk and has seen the odds steadily move in his favor, reaching -300 at the sportsbooks.

Cormier suffered a unanimous decision loss to Jones as a +170 underdog in his first bid for the title at UFC 182, but he eventually claimed the belt with a victory over Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 after Jones was stripped of his title and suspended from the UFC in April last year.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt has one title defense to his credit, earning a controversial split decision against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 192 as a sizable -340 favorite, which improved his pro record to 17-1.

In other UFC 200 action, Miesha Tate will defend her women’s bantamweight title as -250 chalk against Amanda Nunes, who sits as a +210 underdog, while former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has slipped to a -105 underdog in his rematch with Frankie Edgar, who’s a slim -125 favorite.