Ronda Rousey odds and value betting for UFC 207

Saturday, December 31, 2016. Main event begins at 4 pm AEDST at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

Fight records:

Nunes – 13 – 4 – 0
Rousey – 12 – 1 – 0

Head-to-head odds:

Amanda Nunes: ($2.20 with Spotsbet.com.au)
Ronda Rousey: ($1.67 with Sportsbet.com.au)

The Mixed Marital Arts juggernaut of the UFC returns to its native Nevada in a New Year’s Eve extravaganza as the world holds its breath in anticipation for the return of ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey.

UFC 207 will be the first time Rousey competes professionally since she was knocked out by Holly Holm in Melbourne at Etihad Stadium. The ‘Rowdy’ one was even unsure herself if she would return to the MMA.

Rousey said she had been toying with retirement since that head kick that ended her unbeaten reign in the UFC, and stated the Nunes bout could be the last time MMA fans see her compete in the octagon.

“I’m wrapping it up. This is definitely one of my last fights,” Rousey said.

“The show isn’t going to be around forever.”

To get the fairy tale finish that she craves Rousey will have to get through the one woman wrecking ball that is Amanda Nunes.

The Brazilian beast has five first round finishes from her last seven bouts and thoroughly outclassed Miesha Tate to claim the bantamweight gold, and it would be prudent of Rousey to prepare for a war against one of the most dangerous fighters in the world today.

Rousey will not get the ‘belt back ever again’ – Nunes

Ronda Rousey has been conspicuously quiet heading into this bout, but her opponent had some strong words in the lead up to the former champion’s much-anticipated return.

The lack of media from Rousey has not stopped the UFC from pumping up her return, making this fight about Ronda’s reemergence rather than a main event title fight against Amanda Nunes.

Even UFC commentator Joe Rogan tweeted that the promotion in the lead up to the fight has been ‘bizarre’ from the company.

I find it extremely bizarre that all these @UFC 207 promos only focus on Ronda and very little about the champion @Amanda_Leoa

— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) December 18, 2016

The controlled media surrounding Rousey has raised the eyebrows of Nunes, who believes the UFC wants to protect arguably the company’s biggest star from another high profile failure.

“The UFC wants to make it easier for her, so she doesn’t feel like she’s not the champion anymore,” Nunes said.

“They want to make her feel like she’s not the second. They want to make me the second, to make her get stronger or something. I feel like they promote her, so she can be strong, like, ‘Ronda, Ronda, Ronda, Ronda.’

“But she knows she’s the challenger. I’m the champion.”

The woman they call the ‘Lioness’ is adamant that a dedication to training and shutting out all the outside distractions for Rousey will ultimately prove futile.

“I’m ready to take this belt home,” the bantamweight champion said.

“This is a dream right here. She had her time and she let it go. Now, it’s a huge problem because she’s not going to have this belt back ever again.”

Fight preview

The main event of UFC 207 sees ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey returning to the octagon for the first time in over year to face the bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes.

Rousey is stepping foot into the octagon for the first time since getting knocked out by Holly Holm in Melbourne, and according to her camp the former champion has stepped her training up to the next level.

Ronda Rousey looks leaner than ever before and seems like she has dedicated the last 12 months of her life to reclaiming the women’s bantamweight crown.

Picture on the left taken 5 days prior to #RouseyVsZingano Picture on right take 5 days prior to #RouseyVsNunes #FearTheReturn #FridayDec30 Pics by @jeffbottari

A photo posted by rondarousey (@rondarousey) on Dec 28, 2016 at 12:42pm PST

Only problem is, she is coming up against one of the most fearsome athletes in the division, Amanda Nunes.

Ideally Meisha Tate – the woman Rousey had defeated twice before – would have successfully defended the title allowing Ronda to walk straight back into the title, but Nunes presents a huge challenge for the 29-year-old.

Nunes has the ability to submit opponents – like she did to Tate – but also possesses incredible knockout power. Three of her last five victories were via TKO.

The one thing that will favour Rousey however is Nunes’ tendency to come out in the opening round like a bull at a gate.

Ronda struggled in her last bout against Holm because she choose to keep the distance and strike when openings presented themselves. Unless the champion elects to throw away her usual game plan, it is unlikely Nunes will implement a similarly measured strategy.

Rousey thrives when opponents come out on the offensive and that is Nunes’ methodology. We believe Ronda will captilise when the champion comes at her and should be able to secure one of her patented arm bars to finish the fight early in the piece.

We are backing Rousey to reclaim the bantamweight gold en route to re-establishing herself alongside Conor McGregor as one of the biggest stars in the UFC.

Ronda Rousey to win $1.67 at Sportsbet.com.au

Multi betting tips for UFC 207

UFC 207 is one of the biggest cards of the year, so we thought we would add in a special multi for our readers to make some NYE cash for themselves.

All odds for our multi were provided by Sportsbet.com.au who is offering a $50 cash back special on the Rousey vs. Nunes main event.

Place a correct round and method of victory bet on the women’s bantamweight title bout, and if your competitor wins but you do not nail the method or round you get your stake back up to $50.

TJ Dillashaw to defeat John Linker – $1.40

TJ Dillashaw considers it a travesty that he is not in the bantamweight title fight at UFC 207 against Dominick Cruz after their split decision bout that went the way of the current champion back in January.

Dillashaw still believes he won that fight and carries around that chip on his shoulder.

The American comes up against a fighter in the form of John Linker who is on a six-fight win streak. The Brazilian has yet to face an opponent the calibre of Dillashaw however, but his record cannot be denied.

The fight should be closer than the odds suggest but Dillashaw’s technical ability should see him overcome Linker and place himself firmly back in the bantamweight title frame.

Dominick Cruz to beat Cody Garbrandt – $1.44

To our eye Dominick Cruz is in the conversation for the best pound-for-pound fighters currently in the UFC. His footwork is unprecedented and his ability to extract himself from precarious positions is unrivalled.

Cody Garbrandt is one of the hottest prospects in MMA. The Ohio product is undefeated professionally prides himself on finishing opponents.

The big question is: is Cody ready? He is only 25-years-old and has yet to face any fighter inside the top-five in the bantamweight division, Cruz is a massive step up in class.

We expect the wily Cruz to outsmart and outwork his much younger foe, but the lessons learnt at UFC 207 should hold Garbrandt in tremendous stead going forward in his burgeoning career.

Ronda Rousey to beat Amanda Nunes – $1.67

We have spent an entire article writing about why we think Ronda Rousey’s return will be a successful one so we will refrain from going in depth again, but we believe it is the ‘Rowdy’ one’s time to shine on New Year’s Eve.

UFC 207 multi value: $3.33 @ Sportsbet.com.au