UFC betting: Analyzing underdog’s chance in what could be the most lopsided main event in UFC history

(PRESS RELEASE) -- UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva is the consensus top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and the most accomplished fighter in the UFC history. Next up for Silva, a jump in weight class to light heavyweight for a non-title fight against Stephan Bonnar, who is a career 14-7-0 and has never held a championship belt in his professional career. Even a casual sports betting fan would be able to point this tilt out as an obvious mismatch, and the truth is that some hardcore MMA enthusiasts believe this bout for UFC 153 is in fact the most lopsided main event in UFC history.

Best known for his fights against Forrest Griffin stemming from the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Bonnar has patched together three-straight wins to re-emerge in the UFC light heavyweight division, although a title shot is still not very likely unless he can pull off a miraculous online betting upset against Silva. While Griffin and Bonnar received Fight of the Year honors back in 2005 when they first met in the finale of TUF, Griffin won that fight via unanimous decision and then again when the two met in August of 2006. Bonnar lost three-straight tilts from January 2009 through February 2010, including a unanimous decision loss to current UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones. While wins over Krzystof Soszynksi and Igor Pokrajac helped Bonnar get back on track, even his latest win over Kyle Kingsbury wasn’t very impressive.

At 35-years old, there are legitimate questions about how much longer Bonnar will compete in the UFC, although most agree this will not be his final fight. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwando, and Kyrpa Karate, Bonnar is definitely well versed in the arts, but that hasn’t really translated in to overall success. The Indiana-native has allowed the UFC to market this fight as the most dominant champion ever against someone that really doesn’t stand a chance, which is reflected in the online sportsbook odds with listed as a +800 underdog.

The truth about those odds is that Bonnar could be listed as an even bigger underdog, but the sportsbooks could entice casual players to take a shot on Bonnar with the chance that he could upset the champion. After all, Silva’s title isn’t on the line and he hasn’t had much time to prepare for this jump in weight class. Also, it isn’t like we haven’t seen bigger upsets before with names like Buster Douglas and Seth Petruzelli to look to before this. The UFC has done its best to fill the void left by injuries and create a situation that fans will at the least be complacent with, and while it is very unlikely that he will win, there is no way to rule out Bonnar as a guaranteed loser heading in to this fight. For all of the latest MMA news and odds, be sure to check out the best online betting sites.