MMA betting lookahead: Sizing up the most anticipated fights

It’s been a frantic summer for mixed martial arts bettors. The UFC has had cards running pretty much every week, sometimes twice and three times a week, while other promotions round out the summer schedule with their events.

Fight fans and MMA bettors get a bit of breather this weekend, with the UFC off until next week, and that allows us to look ahead to some of the most anticipated bouts on the horizon. Here are three matchups and MMA fight odds that bettors are counting down the days to:

Conor McGregor (-190) vs. Jose Aldo (+155)
This fight has officially been inked for UFC 194 in December, unifying the UFC’s featherweight titles. The two were supposed to meet at UFC 189 but a rib injury forced Aldo out, leaving interim champ McGregor to beat up on Chad Mendes. He’s finished four straight fights and takes on a champion that hasn’t fought since October 2014 due to injuries.

Aldo was knocked down in his rematch with Mendes but was able to recover and win a decision on the judges’ scorecards. He might not be so lucky against the heavy-handed Irishman, who has finished 16 of his 18 victories before the bell. McGregor has a size advantage over Aldo and a four-inch edge in reach.

Ronda Rousey (-1,100) vs. Meisha Tate (+650)
There were rumors that the third installment of this women’s bantamweight rivalry would co-main event UFC 194 in December, but UFC boss Dana White snuffed out that buzz. Rousey won the previous two clashes with Tate and is coming off a dominating KO win 34 seconds into the first round of her matchup with Bethe Correia earlier this month.

Tate has won four in a row since dropping her last bout with Rousey, most recently taking a decision victory against Jessica Eye at UFC on Fox in July. Perhaps she can catch Rousey looking past her and to a possible and highly-anticipated meeting with Cris "Cyborg" Justino. Early odds have Rousey as a -320 fave with Cyborg coming back at +240.

Robbie Lawler (-145) vs. Carlos Condit (+115)
Lawler puts his welterweight title on the line at UFC 193 on November 15, facing Condit at 170 pounds. Condit enters this fight off a brutal victory against Thiago Alves but isn’t really the guy most fight fans want to see standing across from the champ. Lawler has a nice rivalry going with Johny Hendricks, with the two swapping wins in their first two meetings.

However, Condit does pose a big threat to Lawler. He’s held the interim title and went the distance with former champ Georges St-Pierre, as well as holds a size and reach advantage over the champ. Lawler showed his heart in a win over Rory MacDonald, pulling out a thrilling TKO win after falling behind on the cards.