“They say revenge is sweet and if you know me, I got a sweet tooth,” said the new UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. He finally defeated his longtime rival, Alex Pereira to close UFC 287 as he proved his UFC prediction correct on the betting lines. Bets went back and forth between him (-155) and the champion(+125). He and most of the favorites won. But a few underdogs also came through.
“I don’t throw and hope, I aim and fire!” – Me 🏹 pic.twitter.com/jYCReHrrMk
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) April 9, 2023
UFC 287 Results: Favorites Win Except For Prospects…
Young Stars Upset
While Adesanya and most of the large favorites won, a trio of UFC prospects all took losses. Adrian Yanez (-200) and Raul Rosas Jr. (-250) both lost on the main card while Jaqueline Amorim (-270) was also defeated to open UFC 287.
Yanez was outboxed and finished by Font (+160) in round 1. Font improved to 4-2 as an underdog on the UFC odds. The font also snapped a two-fight skid and will maintain his position as a top-10 fighter in the division.
Rosas, on the other hand, had a hot start but lost plenty of steam and lost a unanimous decision against Christian Rodriguez (+200). The loss was the 18-year-old’s first in his career while Rodriguez cemented his status as a UFC-caliber fighter.
And finally, Amorim was supposed to make short work of Sam Hughes (+210). A prop bet online on Amorim to finish Hughes was only at -110. But just like Rosas, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert gassed as Hughes took over and improved to 3-1 – all as an underdog — in her last four fights.
Underdog Bettors Take Many Losses
Overall, the underdogs went j4-8 on UFC 287. And judging by the UFC bets made prior to closing, plenty of bettors lost money. Underdogs like Jorge Masvidal (+310), Santiago Ponzinibbio (+195), and Michelle Waterson (+120) all received action before their bouts. All of them lost.
But one underdog that actually went on to win was Kelvin Gastelum. He opened at +135 but got bet down to -135. His opponent, Chris Curtis, went up to +110. He won a grueling decision that also saw both awarded the Fight of the Night. Gastelum did, inadvertently, headbutt Curtis, which likely affected the fight’s outcome per the UFC news. But a win is a win.
Totals: Decision-Heavy Event Leads To Plenty of ‘Overs’
Fans will remember UFC 287 for the scintillating knockouts. Adesanya and Font both won performance bonuses for their KOs. But most of the event’s fights led to decisions: seven of the 12. Overall, eight bouts all went over their totals including Kevin Holland’s (-245) starching of Ponzinibbio at 3:16 of round 3.
A few of these bouts went longer than most expected. Burns-Masvidal was favored to go under 2½ rounds (-135) but went over (+105) with a decision for Burns (-410).
The Best UFC 287 Prop Bet
Adesanya’s KO of Pereira was a rewarding experience for him and his backers. Namely, folks who bet on him to finish Pereira would have cashed $270 for every $100 wager they placed. Those who went a step further and bet on Adesanya to KO Pereira in round 2 would have profited $1,800 for a $100 bet.
Next UFC PPV: Sterling vs Cejudo
As Adesanya recaptured his title, Henry Cejudo will look to the same as he returns to challenge Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title on UFC 288 on May 6. Early Las Vegas UFC odds have Cejudo as a slight underdog. And in the co-main event, the former lightweight champion works his way back to a rematch with Islam Makhachev as he takes on Beneil Dariush also as a small underdog.
