- Bo Nickal is the biggest betting favorite at the UFC 285 main card but is the only favorite not to have the backing of the betting public.
- Valentina Shevchenko has the majority of the dollars but lags in betting tickets against Alexa Grasso.
- Despite a 3-year inactivity, Jon Jones has the backing of BetOnline bettors with 69% of the money and 71% of the tickets against Cyril Gane.
At -2000 odds, Bo Nickal has the longest betting odds among the UFC 285 main event fighters. However, the majority of the public at BetOnline is betting against him in his UFC debut against Jamie Pickett.
According to BetOnline’s Dave Mason, Nickal only has 43% of the total betting handle and 9% of the total betting slips for his three-round middleweight bout against Pickett.
This public betting trend for Nickal is the opposite of how bettors are viewing the other favorites in Valentina Shevchenko and Jon Jones.
Bo Nickal Only Favorite Not to Have Public Backing
Nickal opened at -1800 odds against a perceived lamb-to-be-slaughtered Jamie Pickett. Those odds have ballooned to -2000 entering fight week. Pickett meanwhile has jumped from +900 to +1000. So, it’s no surprise as to why 91% of the tickets and 57% of the betting money are on the underdog to pull off the massive upset.
Easily, Picket has the highest percentage of betting tickets among all UFC 285 main card fighters and his share of the betting money is the most for any underdog in the main card, with no other bottom dog topping the favorite in his bout.
But while Pickett’s odds are very juicy, the 34-year-old may be the proverbial lamb to be slaughtered against Nickal. Pickett heads to UFC 285 with back-to-back losses against Kyle Daukaus and Denis Tiuliulin while also losing four out of his last six bouts.
Nickal meanwhile, is one of the UFC’s most-hyped prospects. He has opened his professional MMA career with three straight first-round wins, and he has won those three bouts in a combined 147 seconds.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Taila Santos
(Singapore, 2022) pic.twitter.com/S8U8O3FjOf
— Fight Pics That Go Hard (@fightpicsgohard) June 13, 2022
Valentina is Perceived to be Vulnerable
83% of the total dollars have been wagered on Valentina Shevchenko to successfully defend the UC women’s flyweight title against Alexa Grasso in the UFC 285 co-main event. But while Valentina has the majority of the money, she doesn’t have public backing when it comes to betting slips as 63% of the tickets have Grasso’s name on them.
It’s understandable why the public loves Alexa Grasso. She is the first Mexican woman to fight for a UFC title and there is a potential for a massive payout with her as a heavy underdog. But perhaps the reason why she is winning the battle of the betting slips is that Shevchenko is now perceived to be vulnerable after barely beating Talia Santos in her most recent bout.
Shevchenko opened as a -600 favorite against Santos and closed at the -800 to -500 odds range. It was supposed to be a routine title defense for the champion but she ended up fighting for her life.
Looking at Grasso’s odds, she opened at +400 which was the shortest of any Shevchenko opponent since Joanna Jedrzejczyk hit the betting boards at +250 when Valentina won the belt at UFC 231 in 2018.
Grasso has won four straight bouts and has displayed some of the best boxing in the women’s game during that span. She recently talked about her Mexican boxing as her biggest weapon. However, Shevchenko could easily exploit her 64% takedown defense and drag the fight to the ground.
Here’s the official poster for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane 🏆 #UFC285 pic.twitter.com/CP3Hw2Lul6
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) February 15, 2023
Public Backing Jon Jones Despite Inactivity
The UFC 285 main event features the return of former longtime 205-pound champion Jon Jones who will fight Cyril Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title. The fight looks great on paper but looking closer, it’s an interesting one to handicap and bet on.
Jones has not fought in 3 years and is now 35 years old. He also has not fought before as a heavyweight and will be meeting Gane, who has beaten every opponent put in front of him except Francis Ngannou.
Due to Bones’ inactivity, he opened as the +140 betting underdog against Gane. But since the betting lines opened, the money and the tickets have come his way. Entering fight week, the odds have flipped and Jones is now the -160 favorite and Gane the +140 underdog after debuting at -160 odds.
According to BetOnline’s early UFC 285 betting results, Jones has 69% of the betting handle and 71% of the betting tickets. Jones’ percentage of the betting slips is the second most by any fighter in the UFC main card, which speaks of his popularity and reputation.
No Other Surprises in UFC 285 Main Card Betting
There are no other surprises in the UFC 285 main card early betting results as the two other betting favorites, Shavkat Rakhmonov and Mateusz Gamrot, have the majority of the money and betting slips for their respective bouts.
Rakhmonov has the highest percentage of betting dollars among the UFC 285 main card fighters with a massive 96% for his fight against Geoff Neal. He also has 55% of the total betting slips written. The 9th-ranked welterweight opened at -435 odds and is now up to -500 at BetOnline. Neal Meanwhile has dropped from +350 to +375.
Meanwhile, Gamrot vs Jalin Turner will most probably be the most competitive bout of the main card. The 7th-ranked lightweight Gamrot is 4-1 in his last 5 bouts while Turner has won five straight fights.
Gamrot opened at -240 odds but those odds are down to -211 with Turner improving from +205 to +181. Currently, 81% of the money has been wagered on Gamrot but Turner has taken 46% of the total betting tickets, second-most among main card underdogs, trailing only Alexa Grasso’s 63%.
