Westgate opens Jones as a big favorite vs. Lesnar
As of Sunday afternoon (7/30), BetOnline.ag had Brock Lesnar listed as a +285 underdog for a potential showdown with UFC LHW champ, Jon ‘Bones’ Jones.
Published on Sunday, 7/30/17, at 4:53 p.m. Eastern.
About 12 hours after Jon ‘Bones’ Jones took his light-heavyweight strap back from Daniel Cormier with a third-round knockout win in the UFC 214 headliner at Honda Center in Anaheim, the Westgate SuperBook sent out odds for a potential fight between Jones and former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar.
The Westgate opened Jones as a -300 favorite, leaving Lesnar as the +250 underdog (risk $100 to win $250). But an hour later, Jeff Sherman of the Westgate tweeted an adjustment. The Las Vegas betting shop had moved Jones to a -450 ‘chalk,’ with Lesnar as the +375 underdog.
BetOnline.ag opened Jones as a -250 favorite (risk $250 to win $100). However, 18 minutes later, the offshore shop adjusted the number to Jones -350.
This left Lesnar at +285 on the comeback (risk $100 to win $185). Lesnar, who is 4-3 with one no-contest in eight Octagon appearances, has only been an underdog twice in his mixed-martial-arts career.
The 40-year-old pro wrestler was a short ‘dog at UFC 200 last summer when he defeated Mark Hunt by unanimous decision. The result was changed to a no-contest after Lesnar was flagged by USADA for testing positive for two banned substances in two separate tests.
Lesnar was also a short underdog in a first-round TKO loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 on Dec. 30 of 2011. He retired following that defeat and returned to pro wrestling, only to come back 4.5 years later to face Hunt.
In the post-fight interviews at UFC 200 (before his positive drug tests became public several days later), Lesnar talked about being excited to get back in the mix in the UFC’s heavyweight division. He said, “I’ve obviously got a lot to work on, but I still think I’m the toughest SOB in this division.”
During a Facebook live chat with fans this past week, Jones was asked if he’d ever fight Lesnar. Jones replied, “I’d love to fight Brock Lesnar.” He added a few more remarks before stopping himself and saying, “Well, I don’t want to give away too much of my strategy for facing a bigger man.”
When asked about Jones’s comments by the Associated Press, Lesnar said, “Would I fight Jon Jones? Anytime, anywhere.”
Then in his post-fight Octagon interview with Joe Rogan, Jones said, “Brock Lesnar, if you want to know what it’s like getting your ass kicked by someone who weighs 40-pounds less than you, meet me in the Octagon!”
When reached by the media for a reply, Lesnar said, “be careful what you wish for, young man.”
For this fight to happen, several things have to be worked out. First of all, Lesnar has six months left on his suspension for testing dirty at UFC 200. He also has to re-enter the USADA testing pool and and test clean for six months. So clearly, this is a fight that can’t happen until early 2018.
Considering how Jones fought only once in a span of more than 900 days until Saturday’s win over Cormier, you would think he’ll want to be active again soon. The logical first defense in Jones’s second run as champ should be No. 1 contender Alexander Gustafsson, who is the only man that has ever busted up and bloodied Jones in the Octagon.
There’s a November card at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and that looks like the spot for a Jones-Gustaffson rematch in the main event.
