Action heating up for UFC 101
By Frank Doyle
Sports Interaction betting analyst Frank Doyle looks at how people are betting on the UFC.
One of the most noticeable events in the world of sports booking in the past decade has been the rise in popularity of mixed martial arts. The sport has gone mainstream in a way that few people would have believed possible 10 years ago.
UFC 100 was as success as the company’s president, Dana White, had hoped. We made good business on the event and we’re looking forward to UFC 101 in Philadelphia on August 8.
There are 10 bouts on the card for Declaration and we have action on them all, but two are proving particularly popular.
The lightweight championship fight between Kenny Florian and BJ Penn has caught the attention of MMA bettors. Both men have come down in weight for the bout, but Penn is a former lightweight champion. He opened as the favorite and we’ve cut the line on him since the fight went on the board.
The other marquee matchup is the light-heavyweight bout between Brazil’s Anderson Silva and Forest Griffin of the USA. Griffin is a popular fighter but his price has drifted since the fight was posted. We’re seeing a lot of action on Anderson Silva, whom we have listed at -400, and shortening.
It’s an interesting matchup, because in boxing moving up a weight is normally a recipe for disaster. But the money is coming in on Silva. It’s clear that there is now a growing demographic of bettors who are UFC literate and realise that the new boss (MMA) is not like the old boss (boxing).
We’re seeing action on two undercards as well. There’s interest in the fight between Jesse Lennox and Danillo Villefort, and between Matt Riddle and Dan Cramer. The action on these undercard fights is interesting, because they show how UFC-savvy the bettors now are, and how closely they follow the fighters.
We’ve over a week to go until UFC 101 and we expect to see much more money in UFC bets before the fighting begins in Philadelphia.