UFC 240: Holloway vs. Edgar Odds, Tickets, Predictions and Pre-Weigh-in Hype

UFC 240 will feature two headliners looking to bounce back from rare losses in Max Holloway and Cris Cyborg.

Both the men's and women's featherweight divisions have long been ruled by Holloway and Cyborg, respectively, but both were upset in their last bouts.

For Holloway, the loss came at lightweight where his bid to become a two-division champion was thwarted by Dustin Poirier in April. Now, he'll return to the division where he built his 13-fight win streak to take on former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

Last time fans saw Cyborg in action was in December, when she was on the losing side of a fight for the first time since dropping her professional debut in 2005. That's the kind of effect that fighting Amanda Nunes can have. However, Felicia Spencer is no Nunes and the odds reflect that.

Tickets: StubHub

Odds via MMABettingOdds.com.

Main Card (10 p.m. ET, PPV)

• Max Holloway -400 (wager $400 to win $100) vs. Frankie Edgar +329 (wager $329 to win $100)
• Cris Cyborg -595 vs. Felicia Spencer +451
• Geoff Neal -335 vs. Niko Price +283
• Olivier Aubin-Mercier +174 vs. Arman Tsarukyan -196
• Marc-Andre Barriault +144 vs. Krzysztof Jotko -160

Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

• Alexis Davis +214 vs. Viviane Araujo -247
• Hakeem Dawodu -396 vs. Yoshinori Horie +330
• Gavin Tucker -120 vs. Seungwoo Choi +105
• Alexandre Pantoja -121 vs. Deiveson Figueiredo +110

Preliminary Card (6:30 p.m. ET, Fight Pass)

• Gillian Robertson -126 vs. Sarah Frota +113
• Erik Koch -100 vs. Kyle Stewart -112
• Tanner Boser -167 vs. Giacomo Lemos +153

Holloway Promises to Bounce Back

The last time Max Holloway had to come back from a loss, Georges St-Pierre was still ruling the welterweight division. He lost to some up-and-coming Irish fighter named Conor McGregor.

A lot has changed since that fight in 2013. McGregor went on to become a megastar, while Holloway became a champion in his own right, tearing through the division in a 13-fight win streak. That turnaround is a testament to his ability to evolve and change as a fighter.

It's that ability the Hawaiian is planning on utilizing in a strong comeback performance against Edgar.

"It's in my history," Holloway said, per Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting. "You guys watch my fights, you guys go back to all my fights, I'm a different guy every time and come July 27 you guys are going to see a different guy in there again. The kid that showed up in April, the guy you're looking at, standing in front of him, I'd kill that kid. I'd body him."

As far as matchups go, Edgar is about as good as they come for Holloway. Blessed is a volume fighter who pushes a pace few can keep up with.

The problem for Holloway against Poirier was his opponent's power. The Diamond landed early bombs that swung the momentum of the fight and left the champion unable to mount a comeback on the scorecards. 

Edgar doesn't have that power. While he may be able to keep up with his pace and will absorb punishment, he doesn't offer much outside of a wrestling threat.

Prediction: Holloway via decision.

Felicia Spencer Not Bothered by Getting Overlooked

If you hadn't heard of Felicia Spencer before this bout was announced, it would be understandable.

The UFC hasn't put much investment in the women's featherweight division, and the 28-year-old has only fought once under the UFC banner. However, that one time was impressive, as she finished Megan Anderson in the first round by submission.

The win for the Feenom moved her to 7-0 in her career, with four of those victories coming by way of submission. Her grappling chops make her an interesting opponent for Cyborg, as she may be a little more willing to enter the clinch and try to take things to the ground than her predecessors.

While the oddsmakers and pundits might not be giving the undefeated Spencer much of a chance to hand Cyborg another loss, she believes in her skills to shock the world.

"I know most people don't know Felicia Spencer," she said, per Adam Guillen Jr. of MMA Mania. "And from the outside perspective, why wouldn't people expect Cyborg to win as per usual? So I completely understand it. I am aware people look past me, but I don't dwell on it or get mad [about] it. It's just more of an opportunity to turn heads when I shock people when I do come out with the win."

The one intriguing question behind the whole fight is whether Cyborg's swift and vicious loss to Nunes has a lasting effect. How will she respond?

If she's back to being the Cyborg we are used to seeing, Spencer probably winds up just being a small footnote in her career record. However, if she's hesitant or just simply cracked from a long career in MMA in addition to the loss, then Spencer becomes a live dog.

Based on her career, though, it's a little early to be calling for anything other than a Cyborg victory in this spot.

Prediction: Cyborg via second-round TKO.