Opening betting odds released for Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou 2

The opening betting odds have been released for a potential rematch between UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou.

Miocic defeated Daniel Cormier via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 252 to cement his position as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history. Following the event, UFC president Dana White said the plan is to match Miocic up against Ngannou in a rematch for his next fight. The two previously fought at UFC 220 in January 2018, with Miocic winning the first fight against Ngannou via unanimous decision.

Ngannou has been on fire, winning his last four fights by knockout over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Junior dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, and Curtis Blaydes to earn another heavyweight title shot. With Cormier losing to Miocic, we now know that if Ngannou wants to reach his goal of becoming UFC champion he will have to get by the man who beat him the last time he fought for the belt two years ago in Miocic, the heavyweight GOAT.

With White hinting that the UFC will book Miocic vs. Ngannou 2, the oddsmakers took notice and released the opening line for the rematch. The odds, which are courtesy of BestFightOdds, may surprise you.

Future Events: Francis Ngannou (-225) vs. Stipe Miocic (+190) https://t.co/VO30HT1Mz6 @francis_ngannou @stipemiocic

— BestFightOdds (@BestFightOdds) August 16, 2020

UFC Future Event Odds

Francis Ngannou -225
Stipe Miocic +190

The oddsmakers opened up Ngannou as a -225 betting favorite. That means a $225 bet would win you $100. Miocic opened up as a +190 betting underdog. That means a $100 bet would win you $190.

At first glance, I find it hard to believe Miocic opened up as this big of an underdog. He had a fantastic performance against Cormier in their trilogy fight and he already has a dominant win over Ngannou on his resume. I know Ngannou has been amazing in knocking out his recent string of opponents, but this seems like a case where the champ is being overlooked. It’s worth mentioning that Miocic was also the underdog in the first Ngannou fight, and we all know how that went. He was also the dog against DC and won the trilogy.

The line will move quite a bit before the fight as plenty of two-way action will come in on both men in this upcoming heavyweight title fight, but I have to believe the odds will start to tighten up here as there’s no doubt there is dog value on Miocic at these opening odds.

Who do you think wins in the rematch, Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou?