It was announced earlier this month that former Team Alpha Male teammates, ex-UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and current champ Cody Garbarandt will be coaches on the next edition of “The Ultimate Fighter”.
The bantamweights will battle at the end of the season and a date hasn’t been announced as to when Dillashaw and Garbrandt will fight.
Odds have been released though for the title fight later this year.
ESPN.com obtained the line from Nick Kalikas of MMAOddsBreaker.com and he has Dillashaw opening up as a small favorite over Garbrandt at a minus -130. Garbrandt is coming in a plus-100 or even money.
“Garbrandt put on the performance of a lifetime in dethroning Cruz, but Dillashaw has been nothing but impressive since losing a razor-thin decision to Cruz one year ago,” Kalikas said in installing Dillashaw as the favorite. “Dillashaw is the more high-profile fighter, so I’ll be opening him as a -130 favorite, but don’t count Garbrandt out, as he’s thrived as an underdog three times in the UFC already.”
Dillashaw’s won back-to-back fights since losing his title to Dominick Cruz last January, beating Raphael Assuncao at UFC 200 and John Lineker at UFC 207.
Garbrandt had a year for the ages, winning four fights (three by stoppage) including his title win over Cruz at UFC 207.
