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UFC 217 breakdown, betting odds and picks

UFC 167 - St. Pierre vs. Hendricks

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

Georges St. Pierre enters the MGM Grand Garden Arena for his title fight against Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013. St. Pierre won with a controversial split decision.

Georges St. Pierre returns to the octagon for the first time in four years with an excitement level that feels somewhat diminished.

Same goes for the expectations. By the time St. Pierre walks out for his pay-per-view middleweight championship bout against Michael Bisping at around 9:15 tonight in New York at Madison Square Garden, he might be an underdog.

Bets have steadily come in on Bisping since St. Pierre opened as a minus-125 (risking $1.25 to win $1) favorite months ago to push the line down to a pick’em. Both Bisping and St. Pierre are offered at minus-110 at most local sports books.

If Bisping goes off as the favorite, it would be the first time in 14 years and 11 fights that the betting market didn’t expect St. Pierre to win. The last time St. Pierre entered as an underdog was in his second fight of a trilogy against Matt Hughes at UFC 65, a fight he won by second-round knockout.

The Sun’s picks panel is divided on whether St. Pierre can emerge from an extended break to conquer a championship in a different weight class.

Check to below to see picks from ESPN Radio’s Steve Cofield (67-23 year to date), Las Vegas Sun’s Case Keefer (59-31), KSNV’s Randy Howe (56-34) and Las Vegas Sun’s Ray Brewer (49-41) from every fight on the card, along with odds and breakdowns.

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

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