Following the intense action at UFC Fight Night 103, the UFC announced that several fighters would be suspended. Don’t worry, no body tested positive for performance enhancement drugs, rather several fighters received injuries that will require doctor’s clearance in order to step back inside the cage. Specifically, it will be a while before online MMA betting fans see Yair Rodriguez – who delivered a masterful win over UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn, Ben Saunders and Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger compete inside the octagon. Nonetheless, those looking to bet on UFC legends can still look forward to this weekend’s action that pits two of the biggest names in MMA against each other. Although it won’t technically be a UFC event, Bellator will still do its best to deliver some hard-hitting sportsbook action. Let’s take a look at the odds Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen face by stepping inside the octagon and battling each other.
ONLINE MMA BETTING ODDS – Bellator 170 – Saturday, January 21st
Tito Ortiz – 2½ (-185) +150
Chael Sonnen + 2½ (+160) -170
Interestingly enough, the sportsbook betting lines are pegging Sonnen as the favorite over Ortiz. Sonnen, who has been staying in the spotlight by helping organize SUG events and running his own podcast, will be making his first trip inside the octagon in nearly 4 years. Sonnen last competed at UFC 167 which took place in November of 2013. At that event, Sonnen was tasked with facing Rashad Evans but failed to overcome ‘Suga’ and lost the bout in the first round via technical knockout. However, that poor performance isn’t stopping Sonnen from engaging in war once more and the UFC legend will be looking to hit the ground running by facing off against arguably one of the most well-known UFC brawlers there is. Sonnen will come into this contest with a 28-14 MMA record.
Like Sonnen, who has been out of the game for quite some time, it’s been almost two years since Ortiz donned the gloves. ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ last competed at Bellator 142 where he faced off against Liam McGeary. Online MMA betting fans will agree that McGeary doesn’t have the same star-power as Ortiz, but that didn’t stop the Englishman from defeating Ortiz in one round via an inverted triangle choke. How Ortiz will fare against a fighter of his caliper – an older, more established brawler – is uncertain but one thing is for certain; the sportsbooks aren’t backing Ortiz this upcoming weekend. ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ will come into this bout with an 18-12 MMA record.
Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen will be held on Saturday, January 21st at The Forum in Inglewood, California. This will mark Bellator’s first event of 2017 and the promotional company has already stated that it plans on making 2017 their third year with monthly events, instead of the previous season format the organization was running before. Sportsbook fans looking to tune into the heavily anticipated match between Ortiz and Sonnen can do so via Spike TV.
