UFC 285 Best Bets
UFC 285 is an amazing night of fights. The card is headlined by the return of Jon Jones against Ciryl Gane. Plus, the co-main event features a women’s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso. The rest of the card is stacked with outstanding fights too. From a betting angle, we have a bunch of great betting chances with a ton of live underdogs. Here are four of the best bets for UFC 285.
A quick disclaimer, I don’t have any bets for the main or co-main event. I hope you got an early bet on Jones while he was an underdog. The value is gone now that he is a -175 favorite. As far as the co-main goes, it can be hard to find value when Shevchenko is a massive favorite. Yes, there are some prop bets that make sense, but nothing that is good enough to throw in best bets.
If you do not care about betting and just want to get a breakdown and preview of each fight, check out our staff preview and predictions.
*All lines are taken from BetMGM and are accurate as of 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 24.*
Jalin Turner +185
The first bet we have starts the theme of underdog bets at UFC 285. In one of the best fights on the card, Jalin Turner finds himself as a +185 underdog while Mateusz Gamrot is a -225 favorite.
I completely understand why Gamrot is the favorite. He is an outstanding fighter. Gamrot’s wrestling and cardio make him a tough fighter to beat. When the fight is standing, he has good boxing combos which help round out his game. However, I like Turner because of his finish upside. Turner has a lot of power and slick submission skills. I think he is able to find a finish in this fight. If he can’t find a finish he can use strikes up the middle to dissuade takedown attempts. That may not always be the best type of fighter to place a bet on, but at +185 the books are offering good value.
Bo Nickal via first-round submission +100
NCAA champion wrestler Bo Nickal is making his UFC debut at UFC 285 against Jamie Pickett. To no one’s surprise, Nickal is a -2000 favorite while Pickett is the +950 underdog. I’ll play this as aggressively as possible and take Nickal by first-round submission.
Nickal is miles better than Pickett on the ground. Nickal probably takes Pickett down and submits him quickly. I know that it is not always smart to pick round and method combinations like this, but we all know how this fight is going to go. I might as well bet on that outcome.
Trevin Jones +145
Now that I am done talking about Nickal, it is time to get back on the underdog train. In this one, we take a trip to the prelims to place a bet on Trevin Jones who sits as a +145 underdog against former champion Cody Garbrandt.
This bet is pretty simple. Garbrandt is 1-5 in his last six with four of those losses coming by knockout. In fairness, Jones has lost his last three fights. Still, I like Jones. I think it is well-known that Garbrandt’s chin is gone. I don’t enjoy saying that, but it is pretty evident. To pair with that, Jones has outstanding power. If he can land one shot, he can finish this fight. At a +145 price tag, I am all over it.
Derek Brunson +200
The last bet we have for UFC 285 is the biggest underdog yet. This time the play is Derek Brunson at +200 against Dricus Du Plessis who is the -250 favorite.
Derek Brunson is one of the best fighters at playing spoiler. If you have a fan favorite, there is a good chance that Brunson finds a way to beat them. In this fight, Brunson will have a massive advantage in the wrestling department. On the feet, he could face problems, but that is nothing new for Brunson. Plus, Brunson will have a cardio advantage over Du Plessis which play a factor if this fight gets out of the first round. Meanwhile, I am not as high on Du Plessis as most. In my opinion, he relies too much on physical attributes and is lacking in the technique department. I think Du Plessis is eventually going to get exposed and Brunson is a fighter that can accomplish that. Oh, the +200 price tag makes this even more appealing.
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