Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 2: UFC odds and betting lines see 'Bones' open as -400 favorite

Have you noticed the recent inclusion of odds and betting lines featured on the graphics (like this one) when fighters are announced prior to a bout in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)?

If so, you're not the only one.

While watching this past weekend's UFC 165 pay-per-view (PPV) in Toronto, many people in the sports bar surrounding me were surprised to see the current line of Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jon Jones featured so prominently during Bruce Buffer's trademark fighter introductions.

Especially since betting on sports is technically illegal in most parts of the United States, outside of UFC's main hub of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Nevertheless, the acknowledgment of the current betting trends is helpful to those fans unaware of who the proverbial favorite in a fight actually is. And in some of the promotion's marquee match-ups featuring champion versus challenger, the odds can be quite drastic.

Heading into last Saturday's (Sept. 21, 2013) main event, "Bones" was as high a favorite as -900. Meaning, anyone outside of Floyd Mayweather Jr. would have a difficult time making any profit on Jones. To win $100 on the current light heavyweight champion, one would have had to bet $800 dollars.

On the flip side, "The Mauler" was a +660 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the Swedish fighter would have paid $760 dollars. Although the result didn't quite pan out in Gustafsson's favor, you can see why betting on the underdog is a popular option.

Betting on the favorite isn't always the way to go. Most recently, combatants like Anderson Silva, as well as a much lesser known Bellator fighter by the name of Bubba Jenkins, both lost at the hands of heavy underdogs.

Recently, our fiscal friends at Best Fight Odds released the opening lines for a future rematch between Jones and Gustafsson. The odds take into account what occurred last Saturday and make for a much better money-making environment for a potential bettor.

The opening line is:

Jon Jones: -400

Alexander Gustafsson: +300

With that in mind, and a potential rematch on the horizon (says this guy), where would you put your hard-earned cash?