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UFC on Fox 17 breakdown, betting odds and picks

UFC 178 Lightweights Cerrone and Alvarez

L.E. Baskow

UFC 178 lightweight Donald Cerrone laughs at a question posed to him during media day at the MGM Grand Arena on Thursday, September 25, 2014. .

For once, the championship belt might not be the ultimate prize awaiting the winner of a UFC title fight.

The victor of tonight’s main event between Rafael dos Anjos and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC on Fox 17 in Orlando has a chance at something far more lucrative. The man who steps out of the cage as lightweight champion could emerge as the next opponent for featherweight champion Conor McGregor, the biggest money fight currently in mixed martial arts.

McGregor vowed to keep his “ear to the ground” after knocking out Jose Aldo last week to decide whether his next opponent would be featherweight top contender Frankie Edgar or the winner of Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone. He’s already engaged in verbal exchanges with both of the lightweights at a press conference earlier this year.

It’s the second matchup between dos Anjos and Cerrone as the former upset the latter in August 2013. Cerrone entered that fight as a slight minus-140 (risking $1.40 to win $1) with dos Anjos coming back at plus-110 (risking $1 to win $1.10).

The roles are reversed tonight with dos Anjos hovering around a minus-200 favorite, and the payback on Cerrone at plus-170.

Check below for odds and information on every fight as well as picks from KSNV’s Randy Howe (97-54 year to date), Las Vegas Sun’s Case Keefer (93-58), Las Vegas Sun’s Ray Brewer (92-59) and ESPN Radio’s Steve Cofield (90-61).

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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