The Ultimate Fighting Championship is back in business after COVID-19 caused them to miss the last seven weeks of action. UFC 249 will be held in Jacksonville, Florida’s VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena this Saturday, with preliminary bouts beginning at 6:15 PM.
UFC 249
- Saturday, May 9th at 6:15 E.T.
- Venue: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
- TV: ESPN+ Pay-Per-View ($65)
The event was initially scheduled to occur in mid-April at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, but the Coronavirus caused its cancellation. A second attempt was made to hold the event at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California, but stay at home orders caused those plans to cancel as well.
There’ll be plenty of COVID-19 testing kits to go around, as well as many other medical precautions, including a triage of medical experts on-site. Their last event in Brazil served as ground zero operations training and has them well-prepared as an organization for this precedent-setting, post-re-opening pay-per-view.
Despite the lack of attendance, legal sports betting outlets are experiencing a high volume of betting activity on UFC 249, and PPV sales are meeting or exceeding all expectations thus far.
Many top sportsbooks were expecting a lightweight title matchup that would see champion Khabib Nurmagomedov face off against top contender Tony Ferguson. Nurmagomedov had to withdraw from the fight when the new date for UFC 249 interfered with his observation of Ramadan.
In Nurmagomedov’s place enters Justin Gaethje and his 21-2 overall MMA competition record. ESPN is reporting that Gaethje will battle Ferguson inside the octagon with no fans in attendance. Furthermore, there will be no in-ring interviews after the fight, and production personnel will be minimal.
Browsing the variety of odds offered on Ferguson vs. Gaethje, the following assumptions can be made. Ferguson is expected to win the fight, and the fight is expected to end in the first round, but Tony is not favored to defeat Gaethje via submission or a knockout, or win in the first round. Something does not add up, because the only other way he could win within that time frame is a disqualification.
Regardless, bettors can use this information as a way to lay some action on different lines to hedge their bets. There is a hole in the oddsmakers logic somewhere, so find it, plug it, and make some cash! Keep up with the latest in legal sports betting online to track more events that are occurring as the country reopens.
UFC 249 Betting Odds & Lines
UFC 249 odds provided by BetOnline.
Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje
Winner
- Justin Gaethje +145
- Tony Ferguson -170
First to Bleed
- Justin Gaethje -120
- Tony Ferguson -120
Will the winner say “Corona” or “COVID” in post-fight?
- No -300
- Yes +200
Will the winner say “Khabib” in the post-fight octagon interview?
- Yes -200
- No +150
Fight to End in Round 1
- Yes -235
- No +195
Goes the Distance
- No -425
- Yes +340
Justin Gaethje to Win by Decision
- No -2000
- Yes +1200
Justin Gaethje to Win by Submission
- No -9000
- Yes +2800
Justin Gaethje to Win by TKO/KO
- No -230
- Yes +190
Justin Gaethje to Win in Round 1
- No -650
- Yes +500
Justin Gaethje to Win Inside Distance
- No -250
- Yes +210
Tony Ferguson to Win by Decision
- No -650
- Yes +500
Tony Ferguson to Win by Submission
- No -270
- Yes +230
Tony Ferguson to Win by TKO/KO
- No -340
- Yes +280
Tony Ferguson to Win in Round 1
- No -550
- Yes +425
Tony Ferguson to Win Inside Distance
- Yes -115
- No -105
Quickest Fight to Finish
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Francis Ngannou +110
- Justin Gaethje vs Tony Ferguson +150
- Aleksei Oleinik vs. Fabricio Werdum +170
- Yorgan De Castro vs Greg Hardy +185
- Sam Alvey vs Ryan Spann +225
- Niko Price vs. Vicente Luque +400
- Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis +900
- Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza +900
- Charles Rosa vs Bryce Mitchell +1500
- Dominick Cruz vs. Henry Cejudo +2000
- Jeremy Stephens vs Calvin Kattar +2000
- Michelle Waterson vs. Carla Esparza +3000
UFC 249 Remaining Matchup Odds
UFC 249: Alvey vs. Spann
- Sam Alvey +310
- Ryan Spann -410
UFC 249: Rosa vs. Mitchell
- Charles Rosa +136
- Bryce Mitchell -156
UFC 249: Price vs. Luque
- Niko Price +230
- Vicente Luque -270
UFC 249: Hall vs. Souza
- Uriah Hall +105
- Ronaldo Souza -125
UFC 249: Waterson vs. Esparza
- Michelle Waterson +131
- Carla Esparza -151
UFC 249: Cerrone vs. Pettis
- Donald Cerrone +118
- Anthony Pettis -138
UFC 249: Oleinik vs. Werdum
- Aleksei Oleinik +265
- Fabricio Werdum -315
UFC 249: De Castro vs. Hardy
- Yorgan De Castro +180
- Greg Hardy -210
UFC 249: Stephens vs. Kattar
- Jeremy Stephens +205
- Calvin Kattar -240
UFC 249: Rozenstruik vs. Ngannou
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik +230
- Francis Ngannou -270
UFC 249: Cruz vs. Cejudo
- Dominick Cruz +185
- Henry Cejudo -220
