Sometimes, a fight is so big that it’ll hit the online sportsbook before it’s officially announced. You can find these superfights in the UFC Futures section at BookMaker, and it’s one of the funnest places to bet on UFC fights. This is where you’ll find the matchups the fans want, even if some of them have little chance of actually coming to fruition.
Often, the futures section is just good PR for an online sportsbook. People want to see who the experts think will be the favorite for any type of rumored fight. Remember when Ronda Rousey vs. Floyd Mayweather in an MMA bout was actually a thing that people were wondering about? Professional oddsmakers actually were asked for their opinion, which were subsequently turned into clickbait headlines on websites. Being first to set the lines for a dream fight gets you attention and gets people talking.
For a long time, you had money lines for every Conor McGregor fight you could think of. There was the MMA rematch between Floyd Mayweather. A trilogy bout with Nate Diaz. You could bet on his matchup with Khabib Nurmagomedov for months before the date was actually set for the fight. To our surprise, there are currently no McGregor fights in the futures section, but expect that to change once he gets closer to a comeback.
Remember how Jon Jones said he wanted a money fight with Brock Lesnar? Online oddsmakers posted prices within a week - Jones opened as a massive favorite, of course. Now that the winds have changed and heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier has been targeting the WWE superstar, you can currently bet on DC vs. Lesnar. FYI Cormier is a -380 favorite, with Lesnar at +290 on the comeback.
Currently, there’s another random fight you can bet on: Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley. Although Woodley is no longer the champion, the grudge built between the two has grown enough for oddsmakers to put the matchup in the sportsbook. Woodley is nearly a 2-1 favorite at -190, with Covington at +150 on the comeback.
Both DC vs. Lesnar and Covington vs. Woodley are perfect examples of just how flaky futures betting in MMA can be. Unlike futures betting in NBA or NFL, where you can bet on stuff like who will win a certain division or make the conference finals, in MMA you’re betting on matchups that sometimes have little to no chance of happening.
Lesnar doesn’t appear like he’s leaving the WWE anytime soon. Covington looks like he’s next for current champion Kamaru Usman. Of course, if you lay down a bet and the fight gets removed from the sportsbook, you get your money back. No harm, no foul.
But other times you know it’s more likely than not a futures fight is gonna happen. Most recently, that was the case between McGregor and Nurmagomedov. In this 24-hour news cycle, we got news that both management teams were negotiating. Both men were sniping at each other in social media, and there simply was no bigger fight to make. That in turn made the futures section pop off with bettors looking to get in on the action early.
The point of futures betting is to lock in a bet before the larger public moves the lines. While there’s no guarantee that the line will move out of your favor, a good price is a good price. A savvy gambler should be keeping track of prices as soon as they open, especially for a superfight where a ton of action can make the odds especially volatile.
While serious gamblers usually don’t spend too much time in the futures section, you can still find great values from time to time. Don’t overlook it, as it fluctuates throughout the year, with some sneaky good bets popping up. And sometimes, it provides a good laugh.
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