They’re in the ballpark, but they’re definitely not current at the time they’re shown. Lines on sporting events are always moving based on the betting action and in a sport like mixed martial arts, where the betting volume is low compared to other sports, the lines are likely to move around even more, as any large bet can cause the books to adjust the number to attract action on the other side. The TV odds are plucked earlier in the day and don’t reflect the subsequent changes and the differences we’ve seen between the TV and current numbers can be significant.
This is also the case when we put up lines for big sporting events in "Today’s News." We usually wait till fairly close to "post" (the time that the event starts), but the lines often move a bit between the time we put them up and the start of the contest.
If you want to make a man-to-man wager, or simply have an idea of who’s favored and by how much, the stagnant lines you see on TV or in "Today’s News" are close enough. But don’t expect to be able to go to a sports book and find the same numbers.
