Romero opens as big favorite for potential Bisping matchup

The smart money is on a new UFC middleweight champion being crowned soon.

Early odds for a prospective bout between titleholder Michael Bisping and No. 1 contender Yoel Romero are heavily in the challenger's favor, with Sportsbook pegging him as a -350 favorite, per Sherdog.com.

Bovada is the only other site offering early odds and they have Romero slightly less favored at -260.

The 40-year-old Romero has been a wrecking ball at 185 pounds since joining the UFC in 2013, defeating all eight of his opponents, with six of those wins coming by way of knockout. He has been campaigning for a fight with Bisping since finishing former champion Chris Weidman last November.

It was originally thought that Bisping would face welterweight legend Georges St-Pierre in late 2017, but with UFC president Dana White firmly against the 185-pound title being put on ice until then, it appears that a match between Bisping and Romero will soon become official.