How the public is betting UFC 251 including Holloway vs. Volkanovski, Yan vs. Aldo, more

Although the main event of UFC 251 has changed to Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal for the welterweight championship, bettors have had more than a week to get down action on the rest of the card.

And with so many other great fights happening, there’s been plenty of action early on what should be the MMA event of the year. We’ll take a look at some of the odds and bet splits for the earlier fights this Saturday.

The featherweight championship rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway is expected by the oddsmakers to be a repeat of December’s result, with “Alexander The Great” coming in at -200. But the bettors are warming to the Hawaiian Holloway, who is backed by more than half the cash and tickets in early trading. Will that trend continue with the +165 price laid, or will the cash come back in on the fighter that won via unanimous decision just seven months ago?

Jose Aldo is one of the most storied fighters in UFC history, but he’s a +185 underdog for the vacant bantamweight title against 14-1 Petr Yan. The Russian Yan is six years younger at 27, and is an undefeated 6-0 in the UFC after knocking out Uriah Faber with a head kick in his last bout. But the wagerers are on the Brazilian early, getting 26% of the tickets and 35% of the cash on his victory.

In one of two women’s fights on the main card, Jessica Andrade takes on Rose Namajunas at strawweight. Andrade beat Namajunas in May of last year via a second round KO slam to win the title, which she subsequently lost to Weili Zhang, but the oddsmakers don’t like her chances to repeat. She’s a decent-sized underdog at +162, but is getting 48% of the case despite only 28% of the bets, which might indicate sharper action on her winning again.

Paige VanZant is getting no respect from bookmakers, and yet the money is flying in on her. She’s the biggest underdog on Fight Island at +525, but somehow 79% of the action and 90% of the tickets are on the former Dancing With The Stars contestant. It seems likely her well-regarded opponent Amanda Ribas, who is 9-1 career and 3-0 in the UFC, will start taking on money eventually. VanZant has made it clear this might be her last fight in the octagon unless she starts getting paid more, but it’s the ticket writers that will be paying big if she pulls off the huge upset.

Here are the odds bet splits for UFC 251 as of July 6th.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA) or 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN) or 1-800-522-4700(NH/CO). NH/NJ/WV/IN/PA/CO only. 21+ (18+ NH). Eligibility Restrictions Apply. See website for details.