UFC 225 Odds Roundup: Whittaker Betting Favorite over Romero in Main Event

Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (19-4) has not fought in nearly a year since winning the interim title with a dominant unanimous-decision victory against Yoel Romero (13-2) last July at UFC 213.

But Whittaker will finally be back in action this Saturday in Chicago after a health issue as a solid -240 favorite (bet $240 to win $100) on the UFC 225 odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark for a rematch with Romero.

"The Reaper" has taken the 185-pound division by storm since moving up from welterweight back in 2014 with seven consecutive wins. Whittaker is riding an eight-fight winning streak overall and was expected to face Luke Rockhold in his first title defense at UFC 221 on February 11 in his home country of Australia.

However, a staph infection in his stomach prevented that matchup with Rockhold, who proceeded to get knocked out by Romero in the third round of a bout that was supposed to be for the interim title.

Romero, who is listed as a +190 underdog (bet $100 to win $190), missed weight for the fight against Rockhold though and became ineligible to win the interim belt, yet he still got another shot at the title with this rematch versus Whittaker.

Prior to the loss to Whittaker, Romero reeled off eight wins in a row, including back-to-back victories against Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and former champ Chris Weidman to earn the first title shot.

The co-main event at UFC 225 will feature two top welterweight contenders who will square off for the interim title with champ Tyron Woodley still sidelined.

Like Whittaker, Rafael dos Anjos (28-9) moved up a weight class and has gone unbeaten in his new division (3-0). Dos Anjos is the former lightweight champ and will meet Colby Covington (13-1), who has won five straight since suffering the lone loss of his career.

This is essentially a pick 'em bout according to oddsmakers, with dos Anjos definitely the more experienced of the two 170-pounders. He is coming off a five-round UD win over former welterweight champ Robbie Lawler at UFC on Fox 26 in December.

Meanwhile, Covington has earned three UD wins in a row, including the biggest victory of his career in his last fight against Demian Maia in October at UFC Fight Night 119.

For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.