Leon Edwards v Khamzat Chimaev Odds - UFC Fight Night

In what feels like an age, Leon Edwards will be finally stepping back inside the UFC octagon. His last bout came in July 2019 against Rafael dos Anjos, with COVID-19 scuppering plans to fight Tyron Woodley back in March.

Originally planned for this card to go ahead in the Brit's home nation, this could have been Edwards' 'coming out party'. It feels strange to describe a fighter that is on an 8 win streak in this way, but it is the brutal truth. Rocky is a respected figure inside the cage, but he is yet to hit stardom outside of it.

On the contrary, his upcoming opponent in Khamzat Chimaev is the hottest prospect in the organisation right now. The Russian-born Swede went viral over summer, registering the quickest back-to-back wins in UFC history - 10 days. He then went one better in September too, claiming the fastest three fight winning streak in modern UFC history. At 66 days, this record is likely to stand for some time.

Three explosive fights have inevitably got fans excited, and both the fighter and UFC are ticking all the right boxes in the marketing field. Chimaev has publicly stated that he simply wants to 'smash everybody', and Dana White is giving him the platform to do exactly that. The 26-year-old's interview with Dan Hardy amassed over 600,000 views on YouTube - no UFC fighter after their first three fights has ever drawn in these kind of numbers, and spectators are simply loving Chimaev's persona, but also his skills inside the cage.

Edwards could well be feeling shades of Nate Diaz v Conor McGregor - the quote 'You're taking everything I've worked for' is a rather fitting one. Ahead of this highly-anticipated bout, we've had a look into the opening odds.

Overlooked outside the cage, and seemingly overlooked in the odds too. Edwards has surprisingly opened up as the betting underdog for the fight, coming in with an outright price of 6/4.

We acknowledge the unprecedented hype behind Chimaev, but there is certainly some value in Rocky. It is uncommon to see a fighter on an 8-win streak step inside the octagon so overlooked, particularly given his range of skillset.

The southpaw stance fighter is a polished striker, and is so effective at maintaining the distance between himself and his opponent - at 6ft with a 74 inch reach, he can often be an imposing figure. Although his range management is highly praised, Edwards isn't afraid to come forward either. He was so clinical in the exchanges against Dos Anjos, grappling in close and releasing with some vicious elbows.

Such calculated moves will be required against Chimaev, given the Russian born fighter's aggressiveness. He KO'd Gerald Meerschaert with virtually the first punch thrown in his last fight, and stopped Rhys McKee in the first round prior to this bout. Although such opponents don't compare with Edwards' CV, it's evident that Chimaev possesses serious power.

He has an outright price of 8/15 with Betfair, making him the favourite to win.

For those that like stand-up fights, this bout is for you.

In terms of sophisticated striking, they don't come more polished than Stephen Thompson. Everybody knows how the former kickboxer is going to set-up, but getting the better of him is another story. Working from the outside, Wonderboy is so crisp and smooth with his striking, whilst chopping at that lead leg.

He comfortably handled his last opponent (Vicente Luque) this way last year, and was doing the same against Anthony Pettis, before that incredible superman punch. Thompson's fights usually go the distance, and we fancy him on points on this one. To win outright, he is the slight favourite at 8/11.

Make no mistake though, Geoff Neal is no slouch. After 3/3 wins in 2019, many predicted 2020 to be the American's year, but it hasn't got to plan. He had to withdraw from his August bout with Neil Magny due to health issues, making the December date his first fight of the year.

Neal will be raring to go, but we fancy Thompson to over come the 11/10 underdog via decision.

Working down the list, and it's fair to say that this is a stacked card.

Greg Hardy continues to climb the rankings, but faces a tough ask in the more experienced Marcin Tybura. The latter's last three defeats have come via TKO/KO though, and Hardy certainly hits hard - no pun intended. No odds have been released at the time of writing, but we expect he will be favoured.

Marlon Vera spoiled the Sugar show back in August, despite the win being somewhat fortunate. He faces the legendary Jose Aldo next, whose best days are behind him. On the back of three losses, one must ask why the Brazilian keeps going.

He did fight valiantly in each, with the loss to Marlon Moraes being very controversial, but a title shot seems so far away - Aldo was defeated by Petr Yan via TKO/KO for the vacant Bantamweight Championship in July. Despite this, he is the 8/11 favourite compared to Vera at 11/10.

On note of Moraes, the Brazilian also finds his name on the card. He faces Rob Font, who is 5-2 from his last seven. Again, there isn't much in the odds - Font is 11/10, but many may fancy this price in an acca. Moraes has looked a broken man since that Cejudo fight - many believe he lost 2 rounds in the Aldo fight and he was recently stopped by Cory Sandhagen. His rather short 8/11 price to win in December doesn't look very appetising.