This weekend, UFC 249 will take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. The 12-fight card, initially planned for April, has been rescheduled to Saturday, May 9, and will be held without any spectators.
The event kicks off with early prelims at 3:30 pm (PDT). The absence of live major professional sports to bet on is expected to heighten anticipation for UFC 249 among bettors. After all, there are only so many bets one can place on table tennis and esports.
All four sports betting apps currently running in Nevada are offering odds for the fight. In addition, the Westgate Superbook is planning to launch its sports betting app in time for UFC 249, despite its physical casino remaining closed.
UFC 249 is set to feature an impressive lineup. The main event, a showdown between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, takes the spotlight as they vie for the interim lightweight title. Another major bout on the card sees bantamweight Henry Cejudo squaring off against ex-champion Dominick Cruz.
Betting UFC 249
Last week, William Hill became the first Nevada sportsbook to provide odds on UFC 249. The international sportsbook operator not only offers individual fight odds but also over/under odds for each match. Moreover, the company will also provide in-play wagering for every fight.
The opening odds have shifted because people have been betting for a week, however, it still provides a view of the full card:
Besides individual fight odds, Caesars also offers prop bets for predicting the exact round certain fights will end, as well as 7-way prop bets on the specific outcome of those fights.
BetMGM provides matchup odds for the entire card and offers more prop bets than any other sports betting app in Nevada. Much like Caesars, BetMGM also offers round betting and method of victory options. However, they extend these offerings to most of the fights scheduled for Saturday.
The BetMGM app also provides options to bet on the total rounds per fight and whether each fight will go the distance, with a simple Yes/No choice.
As of now, only Circa Sports is providing odds for each fight. The Westgate SuperBook app has not yet posted fight odds at the time this article was written.
How To Watch UFC 249
UFC 249 is set to be an all-day affair. Due to the closure of bars, restaurants, and casinos in Nevada, spectators can only view the card on television or online.
- Starting at 3:30 pm (PDT), the early prelims can be viewed on UFC Fight Pass.
- The regular prelims will start from 5 pm (PDT) and can be accessed on ESPN and ESPN+.
- The main card is set to start at 7 pm (PDT) and can be accessed via ESPN+ Pay Per View.
More UFC Fight Nights Coming Very Soon
UFC 249 marks the start of an extremely hectic week for UFC. Dana White has already revealed that two more UFC cards will occur shortly following this weekend’s fights.
On May 13, UFC Fight Night will feature Anthony Smith going up against Glover Teixeira. Also, Ovince Saint Preux will be making his first appearance in the heavyweight category against Ben Rothwell in the co-main event. Additional fights on the card include:
- Drew Dober vs Alex Hernandez
- Ray Borg vs Ricky Simon
- Marvin Vettori vs Karl Roberson
- Philipe Lins vs Andrei Arlovski
- Thiago Moises vs Michael Johnson
- Sarah Moras vs Sijara Eubanks
- Brian Kelleher vs Hunter Azure
The UFC Fight Night scheduled for May 16 will highlight a heavyweight battle between Walt Harris and Alistair Overeem. Another key fight will be the strawweight showdown between Claudia Gadelha and Angela Hill. The rest of the card comprises of:
- Edson Barboza vs Dan Ige
- Krzysztof Jotko vs Eryk Anders
- Marlon Vera vs Song Yadong
- Kevin Holland vs Anthony Hernandez
- Giga Chikadze vs Mike Davis
- Mara Romero Borella vs Cortney Casey
- Nate Landwehr vs Darren Elkins
- Don’Tale Mayes vs Rodrigo Nascimento
