UFC champ Jon Jones opens as sizable favorite to beat Stipe Miocic

Oddsmakers are favoring Jon Jones to retain his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic.

After running through Ciryl Gane with a first-round submission in this past Saturday’s UFC 285 headliner, newly crowned heavyweight champion Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) is expected to defend his title against ex-champ Miocic (20-4 MMA, 14-4 UFC) at UFC 290 on July 8.

According to FanDuel, Jones has opened up as a -290 favorite, meaning a $290 bet would be needed on the champion to return $100. Meanwhile, Miocic is a +235 underdog, meaning a $235 bet on the challenger would result in $100 with a win.

Jones looked in top form against Gane after over three years away from the octagon. The longtime former light heavyweight champion was successful in his heavyweight debut, and will be making his first title defense against the consensus greatest heavyweight of all time in Miocic.

A former two-time UFC heavyweight champ, Miocic holds the record for most title defenses at three, and will look to reclaim the belt he lost to Francis Ngannou two years ago at UFC 260. Prior to that, Miocic scored back-to-back title wins over Daniel Cormier.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 285