UFC 235 Betting Preview

A pair of UFC titles will be on the line this weekend as the UFC sets up the Octagon in Las Vegas for UFC 235: Jones vs Smith.

The main event at UFC 235 is a light heavyweight bout between UFC champ Jon Jones and challenger Anthony Smith. At Bovada Sportsbook, Jones is a heavy -850 favorite and Smith a +525 underdog.

Jones is 23-1 and one no contest with 10 wins by knockout and six by submission. He hasn’t lost since 2009 and the only blemish in his last 15 fights is the no contest against Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 after a failed drug test. Jones last fought at UFC 232 in December when he won the vacant light heavyweight title by stopping Alexander Gustafsson with a third-round TKO as a -340 favorite.

Smith is 31-13 with 17 wins by KO and 11 by submission. He’s won three straight fights and six of his last seven. He last fought at UFC Fight Night 138 in October, upsetting Volkan Oezdemir via submission as a +125 underdog.

Woodley a -165 favorite vs challenger Usman

In the other title bout at UFC 235, UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley will face challenger Kamaru Usman. At Bovada Sportsbook, Woodley is a -165 favorite and Usman a +135 underdog.

Woodley is 20-3-1 with seven wins by KO and six by submission. He’s 6-0-1 in his last seven fights and last fought at UFC 228 in September when he defended his title for the fourth time by defeating Darren Till by submission as a -115 favorite.

Usman has won 13 straight fights and owns a 14-1 record with six wins by KO. He last fought at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale in November, defeating Rafael dos Anjos by unanimous decision as a -340 favorite.

Lawler makes return from ACL injury as underdog

One other notable fight on the UFC 235 card is a welterweight bout between Robbie Lawler and newcomer Ben Askren. Askren is a -300 favorite and Lawler a +230 underdog.

Askren will be making his UFC debut Saturday. The former ONE Championship welterweight champion is undefeated at 18-0 and one no contest, with six wins by KO and five by submission. He last fought at a ONE Championship event where he defeated Shinya Aoki by TKO as a huge -1700 favorite.

Lawler is 28-12 and one no contest with 20 wins by KO. He hasn’t fought in over a year after tearing his ACL in his last fight. That occurred at UFC on Fox 26 in December 2017 when he lost to Rafael dos Anjos by unanimous decision as a -120 underdog.