Despite his impressive skills, Arman Tsarukyan is being unfairly overlooked by the MMA world, facing 4-to-1 odds against Islam Makhachev!
Betting in MMA can be strange, as numbers don’t always tell the whole story. Chael Sonnen, the ‘Bad Guy’ from West Linn, Oregon, has raised some interesting points about the upcoming Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan fight.
The odds have Makhachev as a massive 4-to-1 favorite, which means the betting public heavily favors the champion. But Chael Sonnen, who’s never shy about speaking his mind, thinks there’s something fishy about these numbers.
Sonnen seemed shocked by the fact that people were underestimating Arman Tsaukyan so much. The current odds are 4-1 in Islam Makhachev’s favor. But the ‘Bad Guy’ doesn’t believe this at all.
“Are you surprised at the odds of Islam vs. Tsaruyan? Islam is over -400 while Tsarukyan is 3-1 underdog,” said Sonnen via his YouTube channel.
Here is what makes this situation so fascinating. Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan have fought before, and it wasn’t the one-sided affair the odds might suggest. Their first battle was super competitive, with Tsarukyan taking the fight on short notice and pushing Makhachev to his limits. He has been called by many experts the ‘toughest fight of Islam Makhachev’s career,’ even though the champion himself denies that.
Since then, Arman Tsarukyan has only gotten better, sharper, and more dangerous. He has been steamrolling through the lightweight division, making the current odds seem almost disrespectful. Makhachev himself has gotten significantly better, even outboxing Dustin Poirier, who is considered one of the best boxers in the UFC.
Sonnen pointed out something pretty funny. He believed that most people talking about their first fight probably didn’t even watch it. He compared these odds to the Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira fight, where Islam was only a 3-to-1 favorite before dominating that match. So why is he an even bigger favorite against someone who gave him one of his toughest fights?
Throughout history, this weight class has been so talented and deep that complete dominance is rare. Even the great Khabib Nurmagomedov faced tough challenges. The idea that Islam Makhachev could be such a heavy favorite against a killer like Arman Tsarukyan seems to go against everything fans know about the division.
(Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – Imagn Images)
