UFC 187 Betting Preview: Anthony Johnson vs. Daniel Cormier Odds, Matchup Stats

Jon Jones' relinquished light heavyweight title belt will be on the line Saturday night at UFC 187 as No. 1 contender Anthony Johnson faces No. 3 challenger Daniel Cormier, who will get his second shot to win that championship this year.

Despite being the higher-ranked UFC fighter heading into the championship bout, Johnson is the even-money underdog, while Cormier is the 10-13 favorite (bet $130 to win $100) for the main event.

Cormier lost a unanimous decision to Jones at UFC 182 on January 3, suffering the first setback of his MMA career after 15 consecutive wins.

The former Olympic wrestler is best known for winning the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament as a replacement entry for Alistair Overeem three years ago, and he will be fighting at 205 pounds for the fourth time in the UFC.

Meanwhile, Johnson (19-4) is coming off an impressive first-round knockout of former No. 1 contender Alexander Gustafsson on his home turf in Sweden on January 24. That event was billed as a light heavyweight title eliminator bout with Gustafsson a 1-3 favorite coming off a tough UD loss to Jones in his previous fight.

Johnson has won three in a row since returning to the UFC following six combined wins outside the organization, including three in the World Series of Fighting.

Johnson’s last loss came against top middleweight contender Vitor Belfort, who will be battling champion Chris Weidman for the title belt in the co-main event. Johnson fought Belfort at a catchweight of 197 pounds after missing weight at UFC 142 and was submitted via rear-naked choke with 11 seconds left in the first round.

Belfort (24-10) has been installed as a 7-2 underdog against the unbeaten Weidman (12-0), who is a massive 1-5 favorite.

The two have been trying to put together this matchup for more than a year, as Belfort was banned from using testosterone replacement therapy for UFC 173, and then Weidman had to postpone fighting new opponents since beating his replacement, Lyoto Machida, there due to hand and rib injuries.