UFC 200 odds: Daniel Cormier opens as big favorite over Anderson Silva

For the first time in a very long time, Anderson Silva will enter a fight as a betting underdog. If you’ve followed the UFC 200 saga though, you know that this is no regular fighter. After Jon Jones was pulled from the headliner bout with Daniel Cormier due to a possible USADA violation, the promotion decided to leave Cormier on the card and have him face Silva in a 205-pound, three round fight.

Not long after the bout was announced, the betting line dropped. Here’s how it looks right now (via BestFightOdds):

The line opened with Cormier at -600 and Silva at +400, but other books joining the circus has led to a slightly better line for both men (BestFightOdds compiles lines from multiple sites and presents the best prices in this handy widget).

Silva, the longtime UFC middleweight champion, has never been an underdog in his 20 UFC bouts to date. But when you look at the facts – he’s fighting above his natural weight class on ridiculously short notice, has admitted that he hasn’t trained in a while, and hasn’t actually beaten anyone in almost four years (officially) – yeah, it’s pretty obvious why he’s the dog.

Is anyone considering Silva as a viable bet here?