UFC
UFC 149 officially sold out; Jose Aldo opens as considerable favorite over Erik Koch
May 12, 2012 - 7:20:54 PM UFC 149 officially sold out; Jose Aldo opens as considerable favorite over Erik Koch

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

With the official announcement that UFC 149 in Calgary will be headlined by the Featherweight Championship between Jose Aldo and Erik Koch on July 21, oddsmakers were quick to set lines on the fight this week.

As was expected, the Champ opened up as a considerable favorite over Erik Koch. Aldo is at least a -385 favorite over Koch at several online sportsbooks, with the line currently set at Bookmaker.eu, though sportsbook 5dimes has him considerably higher at -530. Koch is a +285 and a +350 underdog on those sites, respectively.

For those unfamiliar with the odds process, taking the 5dimes betting lines into account, a bet of $530 would need to be placed on Aldo in order to win $100, while a $100 bet on Koch at that line would net a $350 profit. As always, lines will fluctuate as bets come in on either side and oddsmakers adjust the numbers.

Despite being a heavy underdog, Koch will make for a very solid challenger, and a dangerous opponent for Aldo with his well rounded attack. And even though he's seen as a heavy underdog, the event will do considerable business for the UFC as the first ever event in Calgary. In fact, the organization announced on Saturday that the Scotiabank Saddledome is officially sold out for the event.

Penick's Analysis: A sellout isn't surprising, but whether they have a capacity crowd for the event remains to be seen. For these events where the UFC is opening up in new markets, a lot of the tickets are often snatched up quickly for scalping purposes. Many UFC Fight Club members buy as many as they're able and resell them at marked up prices because rabid fans who haven't been able to get tickets are more willing to pay more money. However, that can often lead to "sold out" shows with empty seats in the crowd. The UFC's doesn't care that much, as they've already made their money on the event at that point, but it's definitely a factor in these quick sellouts for new markets.