Betting odds for a UFC main event are surprising some, a recently retired MMA legend may be not so retired, and some people still believe in wrestling. Huh?
Finding the proper response to much of the news finding its way into our social media feeds is becoming a tougher task every day. Nothing is surprising anymore, and there’s always more to the story. Leaving us with one reply: “huh?”
Last week, Leon Edwards opened as the betting favorite for his main event matchup with rising star Khamzat Chimaev, only to now be the underdog, UFC President Dana White revealed he’s been talking to Khabib Nurmagomedov and thinks he’ll fight again, and Ronda Rousey’s WWE arrest was logged as real. Huh.
The reason “huh?”, in its various forms, is such a quality reply is simple. The word is as versatile as a response gets, and while it may require some explanation, “huh?” is sometimes the only way to react to the news of today. Defined by Merriam-Webster as an interjection that’s “used to express surprise, disbelief, or confusion, or as an inquiry inviting affirmative reply”, “huh” or “huh?” can mean a lot of different things.
Despite some of the follies of evolution (see: McRib), the development and growth of “huh” is something we should embrace. To be the change we want to see in the world, here are a few MMA stories last week that made us go “huh?”
Leon Edwards the underdog against Khamzat Chimaev
Although he opened as the favorite, highly-ranked UFC welterweight Leon Edwards is now the underdog against highly-touted up-and-comer Khamzat Chimaev. Huh?
“The opening line for that fight? Leon Edwards a -175 favorite to Khamzat Chimaev’s +150 underdog status. But, that didn’t last long as Khamzat stans poured so much money in on “Borz” at those odds that the line went and flipped.” – via MMA Mania
As of now the odds are around -170 for Chimaev, and seem to be holding around there. That doesn’t make him a huge favorite, but it’s still a bit surprising for anyone not holding a belt to be considered likely to defeat Edwards. The guy hasn’t lost for nearly five years, racking up eight consecutive victories. Oh, and that last defeat? It was to current UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.
Chimaev’s rise has been fun to follow, and there’s little doubt he could challenge the likes of the top-15 in the UFC. But for his first major test in the promotion to come against Edwards, and for him to be the betting favorite, is wild.
Stuff like this isn’t unheard of when it comes to supporters shifting betting odds. Regardless of who he’s fighting, putting money down on an underdog Edwards doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Much less against someone with less than double-digit career fights coming off of a victory over middleweight Gerald Meerschaert.
