Gamblers Beware: Michael Bisping Opens as a 2-1 Underdog Against Luke Rockhold

(Clearly, trash-talking skills have not been factored into the odds here.)

We’re just over a month out from the highly-anticipated middleweight showdown between Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold at Fight Night 55, and tensions between the two could not be higher (think Nick Diaz and Joe Rogan binge-watching Scooby Doo episodes on Netflix. That high.). Both guys are coming off big wins over Cung Le and Tim Boetsch, respectively, and the winner could easily find himself in title contention for the first time in their UFC career. But the most important question regarding this pivotal matchup remains: Yeah, but can I make any money off it?

Well, if the early odds are any indication…maybe? According to BestFightOdds, Bisping is currently being given slightly worse than 2 to 1 odds (+223)against Rockhold despite coming off arguably the most impressive performance of his career (and against another roided-up opponent, no less). Rockhold, meanwhile, is hovering around the 3-to-1 mark (-339) as a favorite.

This matchup really comes down to whether or not you think Bisping will be outgunned by Rockhold on the feet, as the only guy to successfully keep Bisping on his back for more than a moment has been Tim Kennedy, a far more decorated wrestler than Rockhold (who albeit could not take Rockhold down in their 2012 Strikeforce title fight). The odds likely reflect the fact that Rockhold has shown the ability to finish a fighter with body shots in the past, whereas Bisping found the most resistance against Le in the form of the body shot.

Then again, Bisping’s easily faced the higher-level competition of the two, and no amount of wind-surfing on Rockhold’s part will bring his cardio to the level of “The Count”, whose resting heart rate is something like 4 beats a minute.

But what do you think Nation? Is Rockhold going to run through Bisping in Hendo-esque fashion, or is “The Count” being undervalued here?

–J. Jones