UFC 144, featuring the promotion's return to Japan, is just a week away. On Saturday, February 25, the card will be headlined by the lightweight title match between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson. Also drawing in viewers will be Quinton "Rampage" Jackson returning to action against Ryan Bader, who could really make a name for himself with an impressive win in that fight. The card is stacked with recognizable fighters, including Jake Shields and Joe Lauzon
We're happy to bring you the available odds, courtesy of our friends over at OddsShark. Not every fight has odds at this point, but the matchups featuring most of the name fighters give you a good idea of who the oddsmakers are pegging as the favorites and the underdogs.
Bader is the clear underdog in his fight against Jackson, which is to be expected, although Jackson has lost three of his last seven fights, most recently getting choked out by Jon "Bones" Jones in September. Bader has lost two of his last three, so there is a definite reason for him being the underdog in this one, but I wouldn't write him off so quickly.
Joe Lauzon is also an underdog in his fight against Anthony Pettis, but has a much better chance of pulling off a win than does Bader. Cheick Kongo is pegged as the favorite to win his fight against Mark Hunt, but Hunt's punching power is always dangerous.
Here are the current available odds for the event.
Main Card
Frankie Edgar (-130) vs. Ben Henderson (+100)
Quinton Jackson (-260) vs. Ryan Bader (+200)
Mark Hunt (+200) vs. Cheick Kongo (-280)
Anthony Pettis (-260) vs. Joe Lauzon (+180)