UFC 259 is just days away and it’s projected to be an event to remember. Three championships will be on the line on March 6. Jan Blachowicz (C) will defend the Light Heavyweight Championship against Israel Adesanya. Meanwhile, Megan Anderson will challenge Amanda Nunes (C) for the Women’s Featherweight Championship. Lastly, Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan (C) is slated to defend his championship against Aljamain Sterling.
UFC 259 is expected to thousands of bettors as most UFC events do. Some of them are experts while others may be novices. Regardless of what category you fall into, this guide will help you with everything you need to know before betting on Saturday’s event.
UFC 259 Main Card Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, March 1
- Jan Blachowicz +205 vs. Israel Adesanya -240
- Megan Anderson +800 vs. Amanda Nunes -1200
- Aljamain Sterling -110 vs. Petr Yan -110
- Drew Dober +270 vs. Islam Makhachev -330
- Thiago Santos +135 vs. Aleksandar Rakic -155
UFC 259 General Information
UFC 259 will take place at the UFC Apex on Saturday, March 6. The UFC Apex is a facility in Las Vegas, Nevada that’s been used for several fights during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As usual, UFC 259 will begin with an early preliminary card that’ll air on ESPN+ and the UFC Fight Pass starting at 6 pm ET. That will be followed by the preliminary card on ESPN and ESPN+, airing at 8 pm ET. Finally, the main card will be on pay-per-view and it will start at 10 pm ET.
UFC 259 Betting Information
Sports betting can be confusing to newcomers. There are several terms or phrases that you may not see anywhere else. Below is a breakdown of some of the important terms you should know before wagering on UFC 259.
Moneyline
A type of bet that you can find in most sports, including fights at UFC 259, is a moneyline bet. When it comes to this type of bet in the MMA world, you’re picking who you think will win any given fight. We can use the Anderson/Nunes fight as an example.
BetOnline has listed Nunes as the favorite to win the fight at -1200. Whenever you see a negative sign beside a line, that means that person is the favorite to win. It also means that you would have to bet $1200 on Nunes to win $100 if she’s victorious. On the other hand, Anderson is the underdog at +800. That means if you wager $100 on her and she scores the upset victory, you’d win $800!
Total Rounds
Bets involving wagering on the total rounds of a fight doesn’t revolve around picking the winner. Instead, you’ll be given a number of rounds and then you choose whether the fight will last more than that number (Over) or if it’ll end sooner (Under).
For example, BetOnline has listed the total rounds for the Sterling/Yan fight at 3.5. You would then choose either the Over (four rounds or more) or the Under (three rounds or less).
Prop Bets
Prop bets (also known as propositions) are unique bets that try to add fun to a sports event. One example of a UFC prop bet would be choosing how a fight will end. Will a certain fighter end the bout with a knockout or will they submit their opponent?
Another type of prop bet you might find at UFC 259 could be predicting the exact round a fight will end.
Live Betting
Some sportsbooks offer live betting opportunities. That means instead of placing bets before an event starts, you’ll have wagering options during UFC 259. Live bets can be similar to other bets, like having to pick a winner, method of victory or total rounds. The only difference is that you’re making the picks LIVE during the event.
UFC 259 Main Event Breakdown: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya
While there are three championship bouts scheduled for Saturday, the Light Heavyweight Championship clash between Blachowicz and Adesanya is expected to headline UFC 259.
After joining the UFC in 2018, Adesanya has gone through every opponent that he’s faced. That includes when he won and unified the Middleweight Championship back in 2019. If Adesanya defeats Blachowicz on Saturday, he will become the fifth UFC fighter to be champion in two different divisions at the same time.
As mentioned earlier, Adesanya enters the fight as the -240 favorite, according to BetOnline. With a 20-0 MMA record, it shouldn’t be surprising to see him as the favorite to win.
On the other hand, Blachowicz is no pushover. While he may have a 27-8 MMA record, he hasn’t lost since February 2019. Blachowicz recently won the Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 253 when he defeated Dominick Reyes via TKO in the second round. He is also currently on a four-fight win streak.
Blachowicz is also used to fighting at the Light Heavyweight level, whereas Adesanya is making his debut and has chosen not to bulk up. This means that Blachowicz should have around a 30-pound advantage on his opponent.
