UFC Betting Recap 2022: P4P Rankings Shuffled Thanks To Upsets
At Least Three Title Fights Ended in Significant Upsets
UFC 2022 in Review: Favorites Dominate Despite Upsets
The UFC betting recap 2022 will be most remembered for one thing: upsets. While favorites still won roughly around 70 percent of the time, the few upsets in the title picture left the biggest mark on the promotion. Most notably, Carla Esparza and Leon Edwards won as large underdogs in title fights. But neither of the two owns the biggest upset in terms of UFC betting odds.
The Biggest Upset of The Year Belongs To…
Mike Jackson. Who?That Mike Jackson, the one who took the great CM Punk to a decision. And the same one who is making headlines now for being assaulted by Jake Shields for his Twitter trash talk. The part-time fighter won his first UFC bout as high as a +750 underdog (bet down to +500) on the UFC odds thanks to a disqualification.
Dean Barry, who was -1500 at one point, got disqualified for eye-gouging Jackson. The disqualification win would have also fetched $1,700 for a $100 wager had anyone been sharp (or crazy) enough to bet that line. The result was so aggravating the UFC fired Barry not too long after.
A Trio of Upsets Shake Up The P4P Rankings
While Jackson owns the biggest odds-related upset, the most significant upset belongs to Leon “Rocky” Edwards. When he head-kicked Kamaru Usman and captured the UFC Welterweight title, it was a lot to unpack. For one, Edwards was down on the scorecards and had just over a minute to spare. He entered as a +300 underdog and was reported as long as +3000 heading to the fifth.
Edwards’ “Hail Mary” of a KO victory cashed all of that and kicked out Usman as the UFC’s top P4P fighter. And not too long after, Usman’s fellow Nigerian champion, Israel Adesanya, got rocked and lost his own title in a similar fashion.
Alex Pereira entered his bout with Adesanya as a +180 underdog. Never mind that he already defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing, bettors believed the long-reigning champion would exact his revenge. It appeared that way as Adesanya, like Usman, had Pereira on the proverbial ropes heading to the fifth. But like Edwards, Pereira knocked Adesanya out to win the belt and end Adesanya’s unbeaten run at 185 pounds.
It’s not a UFC betting recap 2022 without controversy. Carla Esparza upset Rose Namajunas to recapture the strawweight title. But she didn’t do it like how Edwards or Pereira did. She had some highly questionable help from the judges as she earned a split decision victory. Esparza was a +175 underdog in this rematch and found a way to win despite landing just 30 significant strikes in total.
UFC 281 Makes History
When Pereira knocked Adesanya out, he not only made history for himself. His KO victory was the 11th finish for UFC 281, which tied the UFC’s record for most finishes in a single event. The event also saw seven first-round finishes, which was also a record-tying tally.
This meant that folks betting the ‘under’ on the total cashed out big. The total went under in 10 of the 14 bouts. Bettors who staked $100 on each fight to go that way would have won $748 in total thanks to six of these totals being lined at underdog money to go under. As such, UFC 281 turned out to be one of the best UFC events 2022 in more ways than one.
The Best Events For Favorites…
This UFC betting recap 2022 isn’t all about the underdogs. There have also been moments where the favorites make all the news. Most notably, UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs Cutelaba (UFC Vegas 65) saw nine of the 10 favorites win. It was one of only two UFC events (UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs Lemos is the other) where all but one favorite walked away with their hands raised.
favorites would have seen a 46 percent return on investment (ROI) compared to 37 percent from the other event
But UFC Vegas 65 turned out to be the most profitable for chalk bettors. Those who invested in the favorites would have seen a 46 percent return on investment (ROI) compared to 37 percent from the other event. Seven of the nine favorites who won were under -200 on the betting odds.
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