We’re heading into the last third of the year, and there are a few more huge UFC fights left on the horizon. Of course, looming over the promotion is superstar Conor McGregor - rumor has it that he’s eyeing a return to Madison Square Garden at UFC 244. Who knows who he’ll be facing if he comes back - some say that a rematch against Jose Aldo is being discussed, while others are saying he’ll compete his trilogy with Nate Diaz.
Of course, we’ll have tons of coverage if and when the Irishman gets booked - his fights always draw a ton of action at the online sportsbook. Today, we’re focusing on the biggest scraps that you can lay coin on right now. It’s always good to get ahead of the game and lock in your bets early before heavy betting action on fight week tilts the odds out of your favor.
Not to toot our own horn or anything, but we’ve made plenty of early picks on underdogs that end up as slight favorites on fight night. You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you aren’t paying attention. Obviously, props don’t release until fight week, but picking a winner is the funnest part anyway.
Now let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and break down the early action you should take on some major fights in the pipeline. Live UFC betting at the online sportsbook is also available should you need to hedge any of your bets on fight night.
UFC 242, September 7
Dustin Poirier +280 vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov -375
Action: Bet on Khabib to win at -375 ASAP
We only see the Russian’s price getting more expensive from here on out. While -375 isn’t a cheap bet by any means, we like the champ enough to use this as a parlay booster. Because the undisputed champ doesn’t fight very often, it’s easy to lose sight of just how frickin’ good he is - this is a guy that has never lost in 27 pro fights while demolishing the likes of Conor McGregor, Edson Barboza, Michael Johnson and Rafael dos Anjos.
We’d also keep a close eye on the prop bets when they release. If you can get a plus price on Khabib to win by decision, it’s something we’d jump all over. While the Russian has a reputation of steamrolling dudes, he hasn’t been too consistent of a finisher, with just one stoppage in his past three wins. Poirier is as tough and skilled as they come, and while he’s vulnerable to a killshot punch, Khabib isn’t a striker by nature.
UFC on ESPN+ 16, September 14
Donald Cerrone +210 vs. Justin Gaethje -250
Action: Bet on Donald Cerrone to win at +210 NOW
Man, it would suck to be a filthy casual. Because you’d have no idea how electrifying it is to watch Justin Gaethje scrap. Win or lose, the man puts on a show and copious amounts of violence ensues. All of his UFC fights have been absolute bangers already. Pairing him up with the wildly entertaining Donald Cerrone makes a lot of sense.
Right now, Cerrone’s price is too good to pass up as more than a 2-1 underdog. While Gaethje is a killer with knockout power, he might also go full on zombie mode against a dude who excels in trench wars. Cerrone’s chances of carving him up are much better than what his current price is. We fully expect Cerrone’s price to go up, so betting on him now would be prudent.
UFC 243, October 5
Israel Adesanya +105 vs. Robert Whittaker -135
Action: Bet on Adesanya to win at +105
Truth be told, don’t be surprised if Adesanya ends up as the slight favorite here. Adesanya might have struggled with Gastelum, but when it comes to the tale of the tape and the style matchup, we see the action favoring the interim champ.
Plus, Whittaker is returning from a literal life-threatening injury. It wasn’t the type of typical injury like an ACL tear that might affect his physical abilities, but it did keep him out of action for over a year as he recovered from surgery. Now, he’s got to shake off ring rust while fighting one of the best strikers in the middleweight division. Lean on Adesanya now while you can still get an underdog price.
Bet on UFC odds at the online sportsbook now!
