UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje will be held on Saturday, October 24, at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. NOTE: The early prelims begin at 11:00 a.m. ET, late prelims at 12:00 p.m. ET, and the main card at 2:00 p.m.
These are The Odds, courtesy of Joey Oddessa. Follow the Father of MMA Odds on Twitter.
JUSTIN GAETHJE +250
KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV -350
JARED CANNONIER -117
ROBERT WHITTAKER -113
WALT HARRIS +158
ALEXANDER VOLKOV -188
ION CUTELABA +235
MAGOMED ANKALAEV -335
JACOB MALKOUN +195
PHIL HAWES -255
TAI TUIVASA -116
STEFAN STRUVE -114
SAM ALVEY +265
DA UN JUNG -365
LIANA JOJUA +313
MIRANDA MAVERICK -438
LILIYA SHAKIROVA +168
LAUREN MURPHY -218
SHAVKAT RAKHMONOV -120
ALEX OLIVEIRA -110
CASEY KENNEY -179
NATHANIEL WOOD +149
JOEL ALVAREZ -172
ALEXANDER YAKOVLEV +142
How Odds Work
Unlike a spread on an NFL game where one team is ahead by a certain number of points (ex. Saints +7), in MMA fights, the line on the game is called a moneyline. These are the +/- used on UFC broadcasts. The figure is how much money you have to bet in order to win $100 (-), and how much a $100 bet will earn (+). They are perhaps best explained via example:
JUSTIN GAETHJE +250
KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV -350
In this fight, “The Eagle” is the -350 favorite, meaning if you bet $350 on him and he wins, you would profit $100. If he were to lose though, you would lose the full $350.
If you were to bet on Gaehtje at +250, if you bet $100 on him and he wins the fight, you will profit $250. If he were to lose the fight, you would lose your original $100 bet.
Depending on how people are betting on the fights, the odds can shift from the moment they open, right up until the night of the fights.
The sport is built on moments that make you involuntary think “HOLY F***ING S***!!!” Those can come at any time, on any portion of the card, from any fighter. Thus, some bettors look to the underdogs, sometimes big ones, as the best bets.
And some say never bet until the weigh-ins, which took place at 1:00 a.m. ET. You can catch the replay HERE.
