Khamzat Chimaev is the unbeaten middleweight who kicked off as a strong favorite to win the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22 despite having not achieved nearly as much in mixed martial arts as Robert Whittaker.
On the first-ever UFC card in Saudi Arabia, the main event is a bout hyped as a matchup between the top contender at 185 pounds. Although there has already been a substantial amount of money wagered on the former UFC middleweight champion, Chimaev is now classified as a strong betting favorite against Whittaker.
The starting odds, which showed Whittaker as the underdog at +190 and Chimaev as a strong -220 favorite, have really changed.
The change indicates that astute wagerers are already considering Whittaker as a possible steal in the five-round match as the underdog. Whittaker recently defeated Paulo Costa in his MMA debut, having previously lost via knockout to eventual UFC champion Dricus du Plessis.
Having a perfect 13-0 record, Chimaev faces Whittaker, who will surely be his hardest middleweight opponent to yet. In October of last year, Chimaev defeated Kamaru Usman, the former welterweight champion, in his most recent bout. Usman had entered as a last-minute substitute at 185 pounds.
Chimaev now seeks to defeat Whittaker in order to maintain his position as the top contender in the middleweight division of the UFC.
