There are few, if any, sporting events more exciting that a championship fight. Fortunately for MMA offshore betting fans, UFC 221 will deliver the goods with a middleweight championship bout. Top ranked Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero will face second ranked Luke Rockhold for the interim UFC middleweight title. In addition to the middleweight championship bout there will be a total of four additional main card matchups. So far, the betting activity has been slightly for Rockhold.
UFC 221 Romero vs. Rockhold
Date and Time: Saturday, February 10, 2018, 10 p.m. Eastern
Location: Perth Arena, Perth, Australia
MMA Betting Online Odds: Luke Rockhold -140, Yoel Romero +120
UFC 221 Romero vs. Rockhold TV Coverage: FS1 and Pay Per View
The UFC 221 main card features four more MMA offshore betting matchups. Mark Hunt will face Curtis Blaydes in the heavyweight division. In another heavyweight bout Tai Tuivasa will take on Cyril Asker. In welterweight action Jake Matthews is up against Li Jingliang. And in a light heavyweight bout Tyson Pedro will face Saparbek Safarov. Blaydes opened as a -154 favorite with Hunt as a +110 dog. Tuivasa was a -192 choice with Asker as the +135 underdog. Matthews was a slight -125 chalk with Jingliang at -111. And Pedro as a large -250 betting favorite with Safarov at +170.
The 40 year old Yoel Romero fights out of Coconut Creek, Florida for American Top Team. He is a native of Cuba that now resides in Miami, Florida. Out of his 14 MMA bouts he has 12 wins and two losses. A total of ten out of his 12 wins were by knockout. Just one of Romero’s losses was by knockout. He began his MMA career in Strikeforce before joining UFC in 2013. Romero last fought in July of last year when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker. The five round bout was for the UFC middleweight championship. Before defecting from Cuba Romero was on their national wrestling team. He won a silver medal in the 2000 Olympics.
The 33 year old Luke Rockhold is a native of Santa Cruz, California. He fights for the American Kickboxing Academy out of San Jose, California. Rockhold has a career record of 19 bouts with 16 wins and three losses. A total of four knockouts, 10 submissions, and two decisions comprise Rockhold’s win total. All three of his losses were by knockout. In his last bout Rockhold scored a submission by punches sportsbook Online win over David Branch. The win over Branch ended at 4:05 of the second round. It was a nice recovery for Rockhold after his previous bout loss to Michael Bisping. In the loss to Bisping, Rockhold was knocked out at the 3:36 mark of the first round.
Matchup to Watch
This middleweight championship MMA offshore betting matchup features the excellent wrestling background of Romero and the versatility of Rockhold. Rockhold is a crafty fighter that has many different skills that he can employ.
UFC 221 Romero vs. Rockhold Betting Odds Picks
Rockhold’s youth and versatility should be the difference in this one. Romero’s loss in his last bout for the middleweight title was a letdown. The loss to Whittaker is a bothersome factor when evaluating this matchup. Luke Rockhold is the pick.
MMA Betting Online Pick: Luke Rockhold
MMA Betting Online Prediction: Rockhold -140
In eleven days, an interim title is up for grabs. #UFC221 pic.twitter.com/3sNJAThx9l
— UFC (@ufc) January 30, 2018
