Shortly after UFC president Dana White announced on ESPN's First Take that Stipe Miocic would defend the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Daniel Cormier at UFC 252 on August 15, ESPN's Brett Okamoto called it the "biggest title fight in [the] history of division."
The betting odds might explain why.
According to ESPN's David Purdum, Miocic and Cormier each opened at -110 odds to win their third fight against one another -- a rarity in mixed martial arts. While the vast majority of fights include a betting favorite and underdog, the opening line for the third installment of the Miocic-Cormier trilogy suggests that oddsmakers view the two fighters as evenly matched, with the outcome ultimately possessing the same odds as a coin flip.
Despite it not being a common occurrence, Miocic and Cormier entering their third title fight against each other with the same odds doesn't necessarily come as a surprise. In their first fight at UFC 226 in 2018, Cormier knocked out Miocic in 4:33, ending the Euclid, Ohio, native's two-year reign as heavyweight champ. Then at UFC 241 last August, Miocic (19-3) recaptured his title, defeating Cormier (22-2) by TKO in the fourth round.
Factor in that both fighters will be coming into UFC 252 following a year-long layoff and that each is considered one of the greatest in MMA history and the third fight in their epic trilogy appears as evenly matched as they come. The betting odds for what will be one of the most highly anticipated UFC heavyweight fights in history reflect as much.