Good-looking card for UFC 218 on Saturday night as the organization stages its first event at the new Little Caesars Arena in Detroit – home of the NHL’s Red Wings and NBA’s Pistons. It’s headlined by a featherweight title rematch between champion Max Holloway and all-time great Jose Aldo. Here’s a quick look at the main card, along with the latest UFC odds.
Many consider this a title-eliminator in the 125-pound division. Cejudo said following his second-round knockout of Wilson Reis at UFC 215 in September that he’s hoping for a rematch with champ Demetrious Johnson, who handed him a first-round TKO loss at UFC 197 in April 2016.
UFC 218 Main Card Preview & Expert Picks
When: Saturday, 10 PM ET Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit TV: PPVMax Holloway vs. Jose Aldo
UFC 218 Odds: Max Holloway -300 Holloway is -300 to keep the belt and Aldo +240, with the over/under set at 2.5 rounds. Originally, Holloway was to fight former champion Frankie Edgar to headline this card, but Edgar had to pull out with a reported facial injury. Frankly a rematch with Aldo, considered by some a Top-10 pound-for-pound fighter of all time, is better. Aldo (26-3) has been one of the most dominant fighters in the sport during the course of his career, but is just 1-2 in his past three so maybe he’s fading. He lost to Holloway (18-3) by knockout in the third round of UFC 212 in June. Aldo is known for his devastating leg kick but threw very few in their first meeting. After the fight, Aldo’s team revealed the lack of kicks were due to a leg injury he suffered during camp. Sounds like an excuse? “That was kind of cowardly to me,” Holloway said. “To say something like that and take away from someone’s win. I’ve never taken away from someone’s win. I just thought it was silly. Holloway is riding an 11-fight win streak. His last loss was in August 2013 against Conor McGregor.Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou
UFC 218 Odds: Francis Ngannou -235 Overeem is a legendary heavyweight and the No. 1 contender in the division but a +190 underdog against No. 4 Ngannou (-235). The winner here should get a shot at heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Overeem (43-15) is coming off a majority decision win over former champion Fabricio Werdum in July. He came up short in a UFC title bid against Stipe Miocic late last year, but he bounced back with wins over Werdum and Mark Hunt. Ngannou (10-1) hasn’t fought since a first-round TKO over Andrei Arlovski in January. He was scheduled to face former champion Junior dos Santos in September, but the bout fell through when dos Santos was flagged for a potential anti-doping violation. The African is 5-0 in the UFC but still relatively young in his career. He’s been fighting professionally for less than four years, and more than half of his contests have ended inside the first round. He’s a confident guy, already looking ahead: “I knock Stipe out when we fight. I think under three rounds, I knock him out.”Henry Cejudo vs. Sergio Pettis
UFC 218 Odds: Henry Cejudo -255 Cejudo is -255 for this flyweight bout with Pettis at +205. This was initially scheduled for UFC 211 before Cejudo pulled out with a hand injury. Then, Cejudo’s availability was briefly in doubt as he suffered minor burn injuries to his right foot on the evening of Oct. 9 as he was evacuating his hotel as a result of the Tubbs Fire near Santa Rosa, Calif. But he’s apparently fine. An Olympic gold medalist in 2008 in wrestling, Cejudo lost his medal to the fire when the hotel he was staying in went up in flames. He escaped the area only after jumping out the window of his room on the second floor.
Many consider this a title-eliminator in the 125-pound division. Cejudo said following his second-round knockout of Wilson Reis at UFC 215 in September that he’s hoping for a rematch with champ Demetrious Johnson, who handed him a first-round TKO loss at UFC 197 in April 2016.
