Tom Aspinall, Merab Dvalishvili open as massive betting favorites in upcoming UFC title defenses

Three UFC title bouts have been booked for the promotion’s October slate, and all three champs are favored to retain their titles — with two opening as huge favorites.

UFC CEO Dana White announced that the main event of UFC 320 on Oct. 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will be the rematch between new champ Magomed Ankalaev and former two-division titleholder Alex Pereira. Following his decision win in the main event of UFC 313 in March to dethrone Pereira, Ankalaev opens as a -180 favorite for the second meeting, with the comeback on Pereira at +140, according to FanDuel.

In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili opens as a massive favorite for his third title defense of the year. “The Machine” defends against Cory Sandhagen and — according to FanDuel — is a -350 favorite, with the comeback on Sandhagen at +255.

Three weeks later, the octagon heads to Abu Dhabi for UFC 321 at Etihad Arena. Headlining the annual UAE pay-per-view event is Tom Aspinall defending his undisputed heavyweight title for the first time against former interim champ Ciryl Gane. According to FanDuel, Aspinall is the -350 favorite to begin his reign as head of the heavyweight division, while the comeback on Gane is +255.