For the seventh consecutive fight, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will open as a betting underdog.
Woodley (16-3-1) will open a plus-105 underdog in his upcoming title defense against Stephen Thompson at UFC 209 on March 4 in Las Vegas. Thompson (13-1-1) has been pegged a minus-135 favorite.
The lines were provided by Nick Kalikas of MMAOddsBreaker.com.
The 170-pound title event will be a rematch of one of the best fights of 2016. Woodley and Thompson fought to a majority draw at UFC 205 on Nov. 12 in New York.
Prior to their first meeting, Woodley opened a plus-120 underdog. He has not opened a betting favorite since he fought Josh Koscheck at UFC 167 in 2013. He is 4-1-1 in those six contests.
Woodley, 34, nearly submitted Thompson in the fourth round of that first fight. He won 48-47 on one official scorecard; however the other two judges saw it a 47-47 draw. Woodley maintained his title in the result.