Anthony Pettis Opens as -150 Favorite Over Nate Diaz
- Pettis set for his second welterweight bout
- First time since UFC 202 Nate Diaz returns
- The fight will be the co-main event on UFC 241
When the Octagon returns to Anaheim, California for UFC 241 on August 17, Nate Diaz will make his long-awaited return, taking on the former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.
The 34-year-old Diaz last fought back at UFC 202 where he lost by majority decision to Conor McGregor.
Opening odds have been released and they have Pettis as the favorite over Diaz.
UFC 241: Anthony Pettis vs. Nate Diaz Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Anthony Pettis | -150 |
| Nate Diaz | +130 |
*Odds taken 05/17/19
Reports were the fan-favorite Diaz was waiting for the trilogy bout with McGregor. But that never came to fruition and it looked like Diaz was set to return to the Octagon at UFC 230 to take on Dustin Poirier. But, Poirier had to withdraw from the fight, and the bout was scrapped, temporarily leaving the future of Diaz’s fighting future in the air.
Who’s the best bet?
This is one of the most exciting fights MMA fans are looking forward to for the rest of the year. Fans have been wanting to know when Diaz will return, and now we know. The matchup against Pettis makes so much sense.
Pettis and Diaz do not like each other one bit, and both have wanted this fight for quite some time. The two have gone back-and-forth on social media, and will now finally settle their differences.
In Pettis’ last fight, he made his welterweight debut against Stephen Thompson and looked fantastic. The former champion knocked out “Wonderboy” and became a top-10 welterweight.
With that, I do like Pettis early on in this fight as I think he will be much better at welterweight. And, something going in the favor of Pettis is the fact Diaz hasn’t fought in over three years by the time this fight happens.
During that time Diaz has been off, Pettis has fought seven times. I hate long layoff for fighters and I think it will really hinder Diaz in the first few rounds of this fight. I think the Milwaukee native will be able to start off strong and pick apart Diaz from the get-go. While I wouldn’t be surprised to see a finish, I think Pettis by decision is what will happen.
Pick: Anthony Pettis (-150)
Will the lines move?
I do believe the lines will move on this one. I think a lot of money will be put on Diaz because of his fan support and could see Pettis easily becoming the underdog or EVEN odds. I think this fight could very well turn into pick’em odds as fight night approaches.
Cole graduated from Sheridan College in April of 2019 with a diploma in journalism. He now is a full-time freelance writer, focusing on MMA for sites like BJPENN, while also covering the Toronto Blue Jays as a credentialed media member. At SBD, Cole covers the four major sports and MMA.
