Amanda Nunes aims for a sixth straight victory inside the octagon Saturday when she puts her UFC women’s bantamweight title on the line against Valentina Shevchenko as a -105 underdog on the UFC 213 betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
“The Lioness” completed her first title defense with a stunning first-round TKO victory over Ronda Rousey as a +160 underdog at UFC 207, and has claimed victory inside five minutes in four of five fights going into Saturday night’s Nunes vs. Shevchenko matchup at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Nunes claimed the UFC women’s bantamweight title with an opening-round submission victory over Miesha Tate as a +205 underdog at UFC 200. The 29-year-old owns a 7-1 record since joining the UFC in 2013, with her winning fights lasting an average of just two minutes, 51 seconds.
Despite her dominance, Nunes has not been pegged as a betting underdog since making her UFC debut with a first-round TKO win over Sheila Gaff as -235 chalk at UFC 163.
Shevchenko enters the octagon Saturday as the No. 1 women’s bantamweight contender on the UFC rankings, and a narrow -125 favorite on the odds. “The Bullet” stopped Julianna Pena with a second-round submission as -190 chalk at UFC on Fox 23 to lift her professional MMA record to 14-2, but will be eager to avenge her unanimous decision loss to Nunes in a three-round clash at UFC 196 pegged as a pick’em at the sportsbooks.
While the champion regularly has claimed victory by stoppage, Shevchenko has seen four of her past five fights go the distance, including a unanimous decision win over Holly Holm as a +175 underdog at UFC on Fox 20 in her lone five-round contest.
In Saturday’s co-main event, the interim UFC middleweight crown will be on the line as New Zealand’s Robert Whittaker takes on No. 1 middleweight contender Yoel Romero as a -135 betting favorite.
Whittaker is ranked third after posting victories in seven straight fights. “The Reaper” ended his past two fights by TKO, including a first-round win over Derek Brunson as a +105 underdog at UFC Fight Night 101, and second-round victory over Ronaldo Souza as a +225 underdog at UFC on Fox 24.
Romero is undefeated in eight UFC contests, and has won five of his past seven fights by third-round knockout.
In other UFC 213 betting action, Alastair Overeem is perched as -130 chalk in his clash with No. 1 contender Fabricio Werdum in the first of two heavyweight clashes, while Curtis Blaydes is pegged as massive -750 chalk in his date with Daniel Omielanczuk.
Thumbnail photo via Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports Images
