Fighting Sports and Betting: Adesanya Gearing to Reclaim Title at UFC 305

In the last decade or so, fighting sports have really taken off with the average sports crowds. That is not to say that decades ago people did not follow or care about boxing, MMA, and everything in between. On the contrary, stars of the past like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson brought fighting sports all over the world. Then, at the turn of the millennium, the Ultimate Fighting Championship took over as the most popular dangerous martial arts sport on the planet. Two and a half decades later, things remain the same thanks to the resources put towards this great event.

Thanks to fighters like Jon “Bones” Jones, Georges “Rush” St-Pierre, Anderson “The Spider” Silva, Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov, and many others, UFC became popular far and wide. Nowadays, it is perhaps as popular and lucrative for sponsors and bettors as basketball, football, soccer, and golf. With the newest event in UFC 305 taking place at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia fast approaching on August 18, the excitement in both the sports and the betting worlds is sky-high. Let us take a deeper look.

Who is Israel Adesanya?

Born on July 22, 1989, in Lagos, Nigeria, Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya is a pro MMA, kickboxer, and boxer. He competes in the middleweight division of the UFC and is a two-time champion. At the moment, he is ranked 2nd in his category’s ratings. His fight versus the current middleweight champion, the South African Dricus du Plessis, is scheduled to be the main event of the latest Ultimate Fighting Championship event. The defending champ has a 23 - 2 record, with only 9 of his wins coming after a KO.

Nicknamed The Last Stylebender, Adesanya is 1.93 m (6ft 4 in) tall and weighs 84 kg (185 lb). So far, he has fought in 27 MMA fights and has a record of 24 wins, 16 by knockout. In his first middleweight Ultimate Fight Championship event back in 2016, he defeated Kelvin Gastelum. Then at UFC 243 (2019), he defeated Robert Whittaker. Finally, in UFC 287 (2023) he defeated Alex Pereira. In his 4th appearance, he looks to get back on top and cement his status as one of the best middleweight fighters.

Many are saying that his best days are behind him now that he is scheduled to face off in a challenge against a younger and more in-form champion. So does he have a chance? In the Adesanya exclusive interview with Stake, he was asked about the upcoming event. He feels good and believes he has a chance to reclaim the belt. His interview is a great way for the fans of the sport and the bettors to form their bets and be ready to win big in the main event. Make sure to read it and learn from the fighter himself what to expect.

UFC and Sports Betting

To make things even more interesting, Adesanya is a Stake ambassador. He agreed to the exclusive since Stake is the best place to bet on UFC, apart from being one of the most prominent ambassadors of the casino and betting brand. The platform offers expert picks and predictions as well as guides on how to bet on the sport. Their online sportsbook is among the leaders in the field and they have years of experience to confirm it. If you are an avid sports fan who is looking for a new challenge, there is no better way to shake things up than placing some bets on a martial arts sport.

The usual options like NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL are all great, but they can be repetitive. The seasons are long, there are hundreds of games to choose from and they can be tough to pinpoint and prepare for. UFC fights, especially the main events, come every once in a while. It is usually at least a year or two between them, meaning that every main event presents a prime situation for sports betting. Why not make use of it and earn some money in the process? If you do not know how yet, worry not. We have you covered in this guide. Here is how to bet on UFC.

The Right Way to Bet on UFC

As was the case with the sport itself, betting on UFC is growing very rapidly on platforms like Stake. Players are realizing the potential and leaving the sports they would usually bet on in favor of MMA. It is not always easy to simply pick up a new thing and run with it so here we have an overview of the best way to place your bets. Right off the bat, we must say that the betting options are not nearly as broad as some other sports.

In addition to the initially limited choice, it can also depend on the magnitude of the fight and the fighters involved. Of course, title fights like the one mentioned in this article stir up the market and allow more bets to arise. All in all, there are three types of bets, mainly odds to win, round totals, and method of victory. Their names immediately tell a lot but we are still going to dive a bit deeper into each.

The odds of winning present the most common bet on MMA. The wager is on the fighter that is going to win the bout. The odds makers use various factors to determine the odds, mainly the head-to-head money lines. The implied probability is calculated for every fighter and then converted into odds. Take two fighters, one the reigning champ with a 6-0 winning streak and 4 KOs, and the other an aging veteran looking to reclaim his fame with a combination of wins and losses in the last year or so. The first fighter’s probability to win is much higher, at least 80%, and the second of course only 20%. So the bet can be -450 (bet $450 to win $100) for the first and +250 (bet $100 to win $250) for the second. If you want to go safe, combining several fights and betting odds of winning is the best course of action.

Round totals are not as popular as odds but are still fun. Depending on the fight, it might be the best option. Naturally, lopsided fights will have fewer rounds while the tight matchups may drag on for longer than anticipated. The oddsmakers know this and will set the Over or Under total on the expected number of rounds. Both the Over and the Under will have their prices. If we have a championship bout scheduled for 5 rounds, the total will be 3.5, which comes down to around 2:30 time remaining in the third round. Now, the better fighter can end it early with a KO and if the weaker fighter tends to lose by KO around the third round, it is clear why the odds have been set. The over on 3.5 rounds can be -110 and the under -135, for example.

Finally, we have the method of victory props. For a larger payout, some of the largest possible actually, you can choose to bet on the method of victory. If you are absolutely sure and have done your homework, it may be the big play that gets you a considerable payout. There are three methods of victory to pick, win by knockout, win by submission, and win by decision. It is a more specific bet than the previous two so the prices and odds are very different in each fight. Many factors influence it, like the knockout power of the fighters, their tendencies to recover or last a long time, and how frequently they win or lose a certain way. The least likely scenario you pick, the least chance it actually happens, but also the most money. This is what makes the winning method the most difficult, something like choosing a single number in roulette.

UFC 305: A Betting Spectacle Awaits

The upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the one and only UFC is bound to be a true sporting spectacle. The audiences are still hungry for top-level athletes and fierce competition after the Paris Summer Olympics have finished, and this one is looking to deliver. It is the third time that Perth is going to be the host. The headline fight of the event is the aforementioned middleweight duel between the current middleweight and former KSW welterweight champion Dricus du Plessis and the former two-time champion Israel Adesanya. Interestingly, it is going to be the first time two athletes born on African soil will clash for a title.

However, this is hardly the only fight to witness. In the flyweight, Kai Kara-France fights Steve Erceg, while in the lightweight the audience will have the chance to see Mateusz Gamrot versus Dan Hooker. When the heavyweights are concerned, Tai Tuivasa takes on Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Finally, the welterweight class brings the Li Jiangliang versus Carlos Prates duel. And all of these are just the main card fights. There are 3 more fights in the early preliminary card and 4 more in the preliminary card.

For a total of 12 fights across 5 weight classes, there is plenty of chance for the bettors to pick their favorites and win some money on this bloody but fascinating sport. MMA has a tendency to bring out the unexpected, but it is also one of those sports where more often than not, it is the favorite that takes the belt in the end. Still, the outcome is not the only way to bet as you now know. Depending on the combination of bets and the number of fights you include on Stake, plenty of betting fun awaits you this weekend.

Tips and Final Thoughts

Preparation for the betting comes easier to those who know the sport. As a UFC betting beginner, you must do some research. Things that are the most important involve studying the fighters and their history. Without it, it will come down to pure luck. What experienced MMA bettors do first is size up the styles. Since it is mixed martial arts, after all, there are many that the fighters employ. There are matchup advantages between skills and styles (kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, etc.), whether their stance is upright or if they go to the mat. Are they Orthodox or Southpaw?

Doing the math is of the utmost importance since there is a ton of data to examine. Records of the fighters are crucial but can be deceiving, as can their personal history of matchups. Also, not every win and loss are the same. If most of the losses are by decision, good. If they are KOs, not so much. It also matters who the fighter has recently won against. Is it a top seed or an aspiring challenger out of their league? The recent track record can be more important than the overall career record.

The most obvious thing to consider is the difference in size, i.e. the weight and the reach. Mismatches are common but they do not have to be decisive. Tall does not always beat short, nor does light always outmaneuver heavy. The narrative is also a good sign as the media and the experts tend to have a good idea of what is to come. A young fighter on a roll does have a chance against a veteran who has not entered the ring in almost a year.

Finally, the bettors have to pay close attention to things like injuries and ring rust. Injuries can be exploited and it even matters what part and what side of the body the injury is on. If there is information about their training and sparring, it can give a great insight into their current conditioning and form. Has the fighter fought recently? If so, when? If not, why not? Have they been away from the ring for a while, more than a year? If the other one has been winning left and right in the past two years, who do you think has the better chance of winning?