Sports bettors at one legal and regulated Indiana sportsbook are overwhelmingly backing UFC rising star Sean O’Malley in his bout on Saturday.
At FanDuel, O’Malley, 25, has attracted 97.6% of the moneyline handle in his fight against Marlon “Chito” Vera, who has 2.4% of the handle.
That’s an incredible disparity, especially considering O’Malley (12-0) is a significant favorite at -310. O’Malley started the week at -320, before drifting to -295 and subsequently coming back to -310. On the other side, Vera (15-6-1) started the week at +260 before coming in to +235 and then drifting back out to +250.
Saturday’s fight is considered O’Malley’s toughest UFC test to date.
That massive disparity also comes despite O’Malley garnering only 67% of the bet count, compared to 33% for the veteran Vera, who hails from Ecuador. In other words, those backing Vera are wagering relatively small sums, while the larger bets are on O’Malley. It’s worth noting that some MMA analysts say Vera has value at +250, so his odds could actually shorten as the fight nears.
FanDuel, and most likely every online/mobile sportsbook in the state of Indiana, will be rooting for Vera on Saturday in the three-round bantamweight contest.
Miocic vs. Cormier heavyweight title bout
It’s one win apiece for Stipe Miocic (19-3) against Daniel Cormier (22-2), and the fight is close to a pick’em, though many MMA experts are giving the advantage to Cormier.
Cormier is the slight favorite at -116, compared to -102 for Miocic. Prices haven’t moved all week.
At FanDuel, Cormier has commanded 54% of the handle and 52% of the bet count.
Bettors are liking Cormier by points, with 36% of the “method of victory” handle coming on that outcome. Cormier is a sizable underdog of +380 to win on points.
Out of all the non-moneyline wagers on the entire UFC 252 card, the one that FanDuel is sweating the most is Cormier by submission in round 4. Cormier, a native of Louisiana, has five submission wins on his record. His most recent was in November 2018.
The odds on Cormier by submission in round 4 are +5000.
