- Ilia Topuria is the -350 betting favorite against Charles Jourdain in their UFC 270 bout.
- Topuria was supposed to fight Movsar Evloev but the latter withdrew after contracting COVID-19.
- Jourdain, who recently signed a contract extension with the UFC, agreed to take the bout on two weeks notice.
Ilia Topuria has opened as a heavy betting favorite against Charles Jourdain in their UFC 270 bout.
UFC 270:
Charles Jourdain (+285)
Ilia Topuria (-350)https://t.co/eJj9LFQ4gj @Topuriailia— BestFightOdds (@BestFightOdds) January 14, 2022
It’s a significant odds shift for Topuria who was listed in a pick’em fight with Movsar Evloev. Topuria and Evloev both opened at -110 at the BetOnline App before the latter was forced out of the bout after contracting COVID-19. Jourdain agreed to step in on two weeks’ notice to take the fight.
Topuria First Man to Stop Ryan Hall
Ilia Topuria is for real! ?
He comes the first man to stop Ryan Hall! ?#UFC264 pic.twitter.com/FfmcRfSEIi
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) July 11, 2021
Topuria is coming off a first round knockout win over The Ultimate Fighter 22 winner Ryan Hall at UFC 264 last July 10, 2021, to become the first fighter to stop Hall. The win was Topuria’s third in as many UFC bouts and his second consecutive win via first round knockout.
A former Mix Fight Events featherweight champion in Spain. Topuria is undefeated in 11 bouts with three knockouts and seven submission victories. Topuria also challenged for the Cage Warriors bantamweight title in 2018 and won via anaconda choke but was declared ineligible to win the belt after missing weight. He fought two bouts for Brave FC before joining the UFC in 2020.
With the change in opponent, the 24-year old from Germany will be the betting favorite in his third straight UFC bout. Topuria was the +135 betting underdog when he made his UFC debut against Yousef Zalal. He won that fight via unanimous decision. Topuria was also a +135 underdog when he beat Brian Bouland in his ill-fated Cage Warriors title bid.
Charles Jourdain Defeats Andre Ewell via Unanimous Decision
Official decision: Charles Jourdain (12-4-1) defeats Andre Ewell (17-9) via Unanimous Decision #UFC #UFCVegas45pic.twitter.com/smV0EkEL1L
— All Access MMA (@AllAccessMMA247) December 18, 2021
Jourdain fought out his UFC contract and defeated Ande Ewell via unanimous decision last December 18th. The win gave Jourdain a 2-1 record for 2021 after going 1-2-1 in his previous four bouts. That victory also earned him a contract extension from the UFC, and he is paying back by agreeing to fight Topuria on short notice.
The 26-year old from Montreal, Canada is a former TKO Major League double champion, winning the belts at featherweight and lightweight. Jourdain joined the UFC in 2019 but has not been able to find consistent success in the promotion. He has neither won nor lost more than one bout and is 3-3-1 under the UFC, and 12-4 with 8 knockouts and three submission wins overall.
Jourdain will be the betting underdog for the first time in his last five UFC bouts. Despite having the minus money sign next to his name in his previous four bouts, he’s just 2-1-1 during that stretch with a loss to Julian Erosa as a 2/1 favorite and a draw with Joshua Cuibao as the 4/1 chalk.
