The second UFC pay-per-view offering of the year will go down on Saturday night as UFC 235 takes place in Las Vegas inside the T-Mobile Arena. Two championships are set to be defended in the main bouts of the evening as Jon Jones put his light heavyweight title on the line against Anthony Smith while welterweight king Tyron Woodley defends against Kamaru Usman. And before those title fights take over the card, undefeated welterweight Ben Askren will make his UFC debut against former titleholder Robbie Lawler.
With a lack of trash talk near the top of the card, the interest seems to be minimal heading into Saturday night in Las Vegas. Whatever the case may be, we could either see history made in the main event or just another name to add to an incredible resume. If Smith is able to pull off the sizable upset, it would join the pantheon of Holly Holm and Matt Serra as some of the most unexpected in UFC history. The odds aren't the highest for a title fight, but they are sizable. Given that Smith also has 13 professional losses, it would seem logical to put him at the top of that class.
Let's take a look at the complete 235 fight card with the latest odds from the Westgate Superbook.
UFC 235 odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
Jon Jones (c) -950 | Anthony Smith +625 | Light heavyweight title |
Tyron Woodley (c) -160 | Kamaru Usman +140 | Welterweight title |
Ben Askren -275 | Robbie Lawler +225 | Welterweight |
Weili Zhang -135 | Tecia Torres +115 | Women's strawweight |
Cody Garbrandt -145 | Pedro Munhoz +125 | Bantamweight |
Zabit Magomedsharipov -250 | Jeremy Stephens +200 | Featherweight |
Johnny Walker -150 | Misha Cirkunov +130 | Light heavyweight |
Cody Stamann -200 | Alejandro Perez +170 | Bantamweight |
| Mickey Gall -230 | Diego Sanchez +185 | Welterweight |
| Edmen Shahbazyan -140 | Charles Byrd +120 | Middleweight |
| Macy Chiasson -500 | Gina Mazany +375 | Women's bantamweight |
| Polyana Viana -275 | Hannah Cifers +225 | Women's strawweight |
With a big card on tap, our experts took a crack at picking each of the main card fights. Here are your pick makers: Brian Campbell (combat sports writer), Matthew Coca (producer), Michael Mormile (producer), Jack Crosby (editor) and Brandon Wise (editor).
| Fight | Campbell | Coca | Crosby | Mormile | Wise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jones vs. Smith | Jones | Jones | Jones | Jones | Jones |
Woodley vs. Usman | Woodley | Usman | Woodley | Woodley | Usman |
Askren vs. Lawler | Askren | Askren | Askren | Askren | Askren |
Zhang vs. Torres | Zhang | Torres | Torres | Torres | Zhang |
Garbrandt vs. Munhoz | Garbrandt | Garbrandt | Munhoz | Garbrandt | Garbrandt |
| Overall (2019) | 7-3 | 6-4 | 6-4 | 7-3 | 5-5 |
Campbell on why Jones will win: Let's face it: this is every bit the kind of stay-busy fight that UFC typically avoids doing. In this case, the lack of depth within the division makes it hard to avoid. Smith may have comparable size and a three-fight winning streak in his favor but he has never faced anyone even close to the level of what Jones brings to the table. Smith, who has 13 losses to his name, was also stopped just over one year ago by fellow contender Thiago Santos. Smith may be an overachiever with a nice story, but Jones is the best fighter in the game and showed in his December comeback he's right where he needs to be.
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Campbell on why Woodley will win: If there's one opponent perfectly suited to drag the 36-year-old Woodley into 25 minutes of hard-fought battle, it might be Usman. The native Nigerian can wrestle just as good as he stalks his prey with heavy strikes on his feet. He has also shown an intensity that doesn't suggest he will crumble on the brightest stage. But Woodley's greatest strength is how well-rounded he has become since winning the title. He'll likely need to use much more of his tools and energy than he needed against the likes of Darren Till but this is still Woodley's fight to win with aggressive counter striking and how well he controls distance on his feet. Let's not forget the champ can wrestle, too. Usman has done a great job as a front-runner yet still needs to prove he can turn the tables should he fall behind against an elite foe.
Wise on why Usman will win: "The Nigerian Nightmare" is finally getting the shot he deserves. Arguments can be made for days on end about Usman vs. Covington in terms of who should get first at Woodley, but Usman's resume can't be disputed. The concern going into this fight is this will be Usman's first ever appearance on PPV in front of the biggest audience available. However, unlike Woodley's last three opponents who all had a standout trait that he could disarm, Usman will be the most well rounded fighter he's faced as champion. Look for Usman to grind and put Woodley in some awkward positions before taking this fight to the deep end for a decision win.
Crosby on why Askren will win: Given the hype that's surrounded Askren both before his UFC debut was announced and after, "Funky" may very well have the most to prove of any fighter that's ever debuted in UFC. He's out to show that the hype is real and he's indeed the best grappler in mixed martial arts. Lawler, for certain, will come out and try to put an embarrassing twist on Askren's debut by finishing him. But given all there is to prove on his first night, the well-disciplined Askren will be able to hold off any danger from Lawler en route to his first UFC victory.
Who wins Smith vs. Jones and Usman vs. Woodley? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks for UFC 235, all from the sizzling expert who's up nearly $18,000 on MMA in the past nine months alone, and find out.
