UFC 149: Jose Aldo opens as heavy favorite over Erik Koch

When Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its debut in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on July 21, 2012, at the Scotiabank Saddledome for UFC 149, it will do so with a featherweight championship main event bout pitting titleholder Jose Aldo against warm body number one contender Erik Koch.

And to the surprise of no one, "Scarface" is heavily favored.

According to MMAOddsbreakers, Aldo has been inserted as a -385 favorite for his next title defense, which had been up in the air until the very last minute when decision makers decided he was a worthy headliner for the promotion's debut in a new Canadian province.

The same might not be said for his opponent, Koch, who limps in as the +285 underdog.

Agree with that decision or not, all other top division contenders are locked up at the moment -- Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung is set for UFC on FUEL TV 3 and Hatsu Hioki vs. Ricardo Lamas likely for UFC on FX 4.

That means Koch appears to be the only viable (and logical) competition left standing ... even if there aren't many who are giving him much of a chance.

Koch is a Roufusport product who was last seen inside the Octagon winning a closely contested decision against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 12 winner Jonathan Brookins back in Sept. 2011.

"New Breed" was expected to take on a fellow 145-pound rising star, the aforementioned Poirier, at UFC 143 earlier this year. However, Koch was hurt in training and forced to withdraw from the highly anticipated bout.

Koch sports an impressive record with Zuffa, at 5-1, while boasting a 13-1 record overall. Anyone think he can shock the world and prove the oddsmakers wrong?

For all the latest and greatest news and notes on UFC 149 click here.