There might be some faith in Georges St-Pierre after all. The former No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world steps back into the Octagon this Saturday night at UFC 217, where he will challenge Michael Bisping for the Middleweight title, and the fight odds are creeping back towards St-Pierre. He was a –140 favorite on the UFC 217 futures market, then fell to –120 as Bisping supporters made their voices heard; at press time, St-Pierre is back up to –125.
There’s also been an explosion of props on the UFC 217 betting board. So far, there are 11 different ways you can bet on Michael Bisping vs. Georges St-Pierre, including whether the fight will go the distance (YES is favored at –160) and the method of victory (St-Pierre by decision is +165). St-Pierre went the full five rounds in each of his last seven Welterweight title defenses, relying on his technical expertise to dominate nearly every round. Will the same plan work in the Middleweight division against a larger fighter?
Titles and Perfect Records on the Line at UFC 217
Fight fans at Madison Square Garden and around the world will be treated to two more title matches this Saturday. Joanna Jedrzejczyk will put her Women’s Strawweight belt on the line against Rose Namajunas, in what looks like the biggest mismatch on the UFC 217 odds list; Jedrzejczyk has moved from –450 to –600, as she tries to run her MMA record to a perfect 15-0. Then it’ll be Cody Garbrandt defending the Bantamweight title against former champion TJ Dillashaw, with Garbrandt (also undefeated at 11-0) checking in at –185, up from –160 at the open.
The main card for UFC 217 features two more matches, starting with the last man St-Pierre faced in the Octagon. Johny Hendricks nearly took the Welterweight title off St-Pierre before sending him into semi-retirement, but Hendricks is a +175 underdog for his Middleweight fight with rising Brazilian star Paulo Borrachinha (10-0 lifetime). And in what might be the Fight of the Night, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a –175 favorite to beat Jorge Masvidal in Welterweight action.
There are two separate preliminary cards for UFC 217 that both deserve watching, the first on UFC Fight Pass (featuring Ovince Saint Preux), and the second on FOX Sports 1 (featuring Mickey Gall). Check in with Bovada for fresh UFC odds for all 12 of Saturday’s fights.
*Odds as of November 1, 2017