Wow.
Strikeforce Grand Prix Heavyweight Tournament Champion Daniel Cormier will take on mixed martial arts (MMA) journeyman Dion Staring as part of this weekend's "Marquardt vs. Saffiedine" fight card, which emanates from the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK.
And he'll do it as a 20-1 favorite.
That's not a typo. Our fiscal friends at Best Fight Odds have pegged "DC" the -2000 favorite against "The Soldier," who marches into the "Sooner State" as the +1000 underdog. Even for a mismatch, these odds are pretty outrageous for an MMA fight.
After all, anything can happen.
Cormier (10-0) has already proved he's a top 10 heavyweight by handily disposing of Antonio Silva and Josh Barnett in back-to-back fights. Those performances, coupled with his wrestling pedigree, make him a dangerous foe for anyone in combat sports.
But 20-1?
Staring (28-7) is riding a six-fight winning streak with five finishes and has three times the experience of Cormier. While he's faltered against some of the sport's bigger names, like Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, he should be able to provide the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product with at least some resistance.
Or not.
Cris Cyborg also opened at 20-1 against Jan Finney for their bloodbath back in 2010 and we all know how that turned out. What do you say, Maniacs, is Cormier getting too much respect?
To see how (and why) this fight came together click here.