Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade betting odds revealed for UFC 261 title fight

The betting odds have been released for the upcoming UFC 261 women’s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade.

This long-rumored battle between elite women’s flyweight fighters will finally take place on April 24 at UFC 261, though the location and venue are yet-to-be-determined. What we do know is that Shevchenko and Andrade, the champion and the No. 1 contender in the UFC women’s flyweight division, will square off with UFC gold on the line. With the fight booked, the sportsbooks have released the betting odds for this matchup (h/t BetOnline).

Opening odds for Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jessica Andrade at UFC 261 via @betonline_ag

Shevchenko -350
Andrade +285

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) February 24, 2021

UFC 261 Odds

Valentina Shevchenko -350
Jessica Andrade +285

Not surprisingly, Shevchenko once again opened up as a big favorite for her upcoming title defense. She is a -350 betting favorite at open over Andrade, meaning a $350 bet would win you $100. On the comeback, Andrade is a +285 betting underdog. That means a $100 bet would win you $285. It’s not a surprise at all to see Shevchenko open as the favorite, and if anything, you could probably make the argument she deserves to be a bit of a bigger favorite. That being said, the oddsmakers are giving Andrade plenty of respect here as the challenger, and rightfully so given she’s a former UFC champion herself.

Shevchenko (20-3) is the UFC women’s flyweight champion and is generally regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound female fighters in the game. The 32-year-old Kyrgyzstani-Peruvian fighter first joined the UFC back in 2015. She beat Sarah Kaufman that night and she has not looked back since. “Bullet” is 9-2 overall in the UFC, including a perfect 6-0 mark as a flyweight, and a win over Andrade could earn her a trilogy with Amanda Nunes.

Andrade (21-8) is the former UFC women’s strawweight champion. After dropping the belt to Weili Zhang and losing a split decision to Rose Namajunas in a rematch, she moved up to 125lbs and knocked out former title challenger Katlyn Chookagian in the first round. That was a huge win for Andrade and in the 125lbs division, it earned her this title shot.

Who will your money be on at UFC 261, Valentina Shevchenko or Jessica Andrade?