The mixed martial arts world is in for some excitement this weekend as the UFC is gearing up for another event. UFC Vegas 35 will be held on Saturday, August 28 at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is filled with a lot of exciting bouts, but none are as highly anticipated as the featherweight main event between Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze. The two fighters are both in the top 10 when it comes to the UFC’s featherweight rankings, which means a victory would go a long way for a potential championship match down the line.
BetOnline has released odds for UFC Vegas 35, including those for the Barboza-Chikadze clash. Continue reading to see who’s favored to leave Las Vegas with the victory.
UFC Vegas 35 Odds: Edson Barboza vs Giga Chikadze
Odds via BetOnline as of Wednesday, August 25
- Record: Edson Barboza (22-9-0) vs. Giga Chikadze (13-2-0)
- Moneyline: Barboza (-115) vs Chikadze (-105)
- Total: 4.5 Rounds — Over (+100), Under (-130)
- Most likely method of victory: Chikadze via KO/TKO (+205)
Complete list of prop bets and other UFC Vegas 35 markets are available at BetOnline.ag.
UFC Odds Favor Barboza
At -115, Barboza is favored by BetOnline to walk out of UFC Vegas 35 with the victory. After a stretch that saw him lose five out of six matches between December 2017 and May 2020, the 35-year-old Brazilian has been on a winning streak as of late.
Having previously fought in the lightweight division, Barboza cut down to featherweight in May of last year. While he lost his inaugural fight to Dan Ige, he’s won his past two pouts — with the most recent one being a knockout victory over Shane Burgos at UFC 262.
According to BetOnline, Barboza’s best shot of victory at UFC Vegas 35 is to outlast Chikadze and win by decision at +230 odds. That makes sense because eight out of his 22 career victories have come by decision and Chikadze has yet to be knocked out. Nevertheless, you can’t exactly rule out the possibility of a Barboza KO/TKO victory. There’s a reason why his seven knockout victories in the lightweight division are tied for a UFC record.
It’ll be tough to hit Chikadze because he absorbs just 2.67 significant strikes per minute, however, Barboza also dishes out an average of 4.16 per 60 seconds. In the end, it’ll come down to which fighter makes the first mistake. If neither does, the fight coming down to a decision ending seems like a likely outcome.
Chikadze UFC Vegas 35 Odds Pain Him as the Underdog
Despite only suffering two losses in his MMA career, Chikadze will enter UFC Vegas 35 as the slight -105 underdog. Few fighters across each division have as much momentum as he has. Chikadze has only lost one fight since 2016 and has won each of his last eight bouts in a row. While there was a stretch where he was winning by decision, his past two victories have come via TKO within the first round. If he can continue performing at that rate, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him becoming one of the more popular UFC attractions.
In case it wasn’t obvious by now, Chikadze is a knockout machine who’s won eight of his 13 victories by KO/TKO. Fortunately for him, Barboza is susceptible to being knocked out as two of his last four losses have come by that method. It’s understandable why more people would lean towards Barboza due to him having more experience, but nobody should be shocked with Chikadze pulls off the victory. He’s been white-hot and hasn’t shown much weakness. If he can score the victory at UFC Vegas 35, look for big things on the horizon for the Georgian SSR native.
