Even if Jose Aldo crosses the line for a UFC title shot, the odds won't be in his favor.
Aldo opens as a heavy betting underdog against UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley as a potential opponent, with odds released by internet bookmaker BetOnline on Monday. The former two-time featherweight champion is listed as a +210 underdog. So if you bet $100 on Aldo, you'd get $210 back if he pulled off the upset, but O'Malley is a -250 favorite to win.
Aldo, 37, returned from a nearly two-year retirement from mixed martial arts last Saturday and stormed the scorecards with a vintage win over Jonathan Martinez in the co-main event of UFC 301, winning a unanimous decision in his native Brazil. Aldo is currently an MMA free agent, but he has expressed his intention to challenge O'Malley for the bantamweight title if he re-signs with the UFC.
Aldo's successful return puts him back in the upper echelons of the mixed martial arts world bantamweight ranks, with Aldo making his return debut at No. 6 in Monday's update.
O'Malley, 29, is currently expected to defend his UFC bantamweight title against top contender Merab Dvalishvili later this year. O'Malley is still a betting underdog (+185) in a potential bout with Dvalishvili (-220), but an even bigger bet on a potential champion-versus-champion bout with UFC featherweight champion Ilya Topria (-285). He will be the underdog (+245). .