There are 12 divisions (men’s and women’s combined) in the UFC, meaning there are a very limited number of champions in the organization. Thus, it’s incredibly rare to see a card with three title fights because there are only so many to go around and most champions fight no more than twice a year.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
Thus, this Saturday’s UFC 245 card from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is one not to be missed because there are a trio of belts on the line, headlined by a welterweight battle between champion Kamara Usman and former interim champion and second-ranked Colby Covington.
The 32-year-old Usman (15-1), born in Nigeria but who has lived in the USA since childhood, is on a 14-fight winning streak since a defeat in his second pro fight in the CFA organization. “The Nigerian Nightmare” won the welterweight title in March with a unanimous decision victory over Tyron Woodley. Usman is the -190 favorite on the UFC odds for Saturday.
Covington (15-1), a 31-year-old American, won the interim welterweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Rafael dos Anjos in June 2018. However, Covington wasn’t able to fight a unification bout later that year against Woodley for health reasons so he was stripped. “Chaos” returned to the Octagon in August and beat Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision. Covington is +155 against Usman.
At featherweight, champion Max Holloway is a -175 favorite against No. 1 contender Alexander Volkanovski, who is +145. Holloway (21-4), a 28-year-old from Hawaii, hasn’t lost a featherweight bout since August 2013 against Conor McGregor. However, “Blessed” did try to also win the lightweight title back in April and was beaten soundly by Dustin Poirier. Holloway returned to featherweight competition in July and beat Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision.
Volkanovski (20-1) is a 31-year-old Aussie who hasn’t lost since 2013 and is 7-0 in the UFC. He beat former long-time featherweight champion Jose Aldo by unanimous decision in May. This is Volkanovski’s first title fight in the UFC.
Last but not least, women’s bantamweight champion and pound-for-pound queen Amanda Nunes (18-4) is a -300 favorite against Dutchwoman and No. 1 contender Germaine de Randamie (9-3), who is +230. These two fought at UFC Fight Night 31 in November 2013, and Nunes won by first-round TKO. That’s the last loss for de Randamie.
