Robert Whittaker opens as betting favorite over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Vegas event

Robert Whittaker has opened as the early betting favorite over Kelvin Gastelum following the announcement of their headlining middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night 188.

Best Fight Odds have Whittaker, the former UFC middleweight champion, listed as the -275 favorite while TUF 17 winner Gastelum opens as a +220 underdog.

UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Gastelum:

Kelvin Gastelum (+220)

Robert Whittaker (-275)

Whittaker was originally slated to face top-three ranked middleweight Paulo Costa, but the Brazilian was forced to pull out of the bout earlier this week due to health complications. ‘The Reaper’ has rattled off two straight wins since losing the title to Adesanya and is hoping a win over Gastelum will set up a rematch.

Gastelum, on the other hand, recently snapped a three-fight skid at UFC 258, beating Ian Heinisch via unanimous decision on the main card. The former interim middleweight title challenger, who fought — and lost — to Adesanya in a Fight of the Night epic at UFC 236, will look to crack the top-five with an upset over Whittaker.

UFC on ESPN+46, which features Whittaker vs. Gastelum as the main event, is scheduled to take place on April 17 at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas.