1 best and worst bet at UFC 294
Although the card is different than this time last week, UFC 294 feels no less of an enormous occasion amongst the UFC fandom.
In fact, it may be even bigger than before, with the often AWOL Paulo Costa being replaced by recently dethroned welterweight king Kamaru Usman in his blockbuster co-main event, shared with Khamzat Chimaev.
The main event failed to escape the wrath of the MMA gods too, as Charles Oliveira sustained a cut over his eye that would force a withdrawal from the Brazillian that left Islam Makhachev in a frantic search for a way to remain on the UFC 294 card.
Upstep featherweight champion, and previous opponent of the grappling ace, Alexander Volkanovski. The Aussie was only too happy to accept the challenge and set the stage for what could end up being one of the most nail-biting cards of the year.
Trevor Peek is the best bet at UFC 294
While it may be tempting to go to the shinier prospect of the main and co-main event, the best value for a bet could be found on the prelims.
Former Contender Series stand-out Trevor Peek is 1-1 in his short UFC tenure thus far. After bursting onto the roster with a stoppage victory over Erik Gonzalez, he was brought somewhat back down to earth following a decision loss to Chepe Mariscal at UFC Jacksonville.
Although the glamour of his undefeated record is now by the wayside, Peek is still just 28, and entering the peek of his powers. His debuting opponent, UAE-born Mohammed Yahya doesn't look like an easy task by any means though.
The former UAE Warriors lightweight champion is 12-3 and is undefeated since 2020. Yahya has plenty going for him, but his caliber of opponent is questionable. Having gone the distance with a number of low-level opponents, it is hard to judge if the competition in the UFC may be too stiff for the freshman.
Take Peek to win at around -125.
Islam Makhachev is the worst bet at UFC 294
This pick may cause some turned heads, but it is not without reasoning.
Makhachev holds a win over his next opponent, who steps off the couch, by his admission, to take on the heir to the throne that Khabib Nurmagomedov built in the lightweight division.
So why not put everything you have on Makhachev, right?
Wrong.
In many fans' eyes, Volkanovski took that first fight, and on many metrics, they are right. He lost around five minutes of control to Makhachev but outlanded him throughout the duration of the bout. Historically, a lot of short-notice replacements do well in title bouts. Think TJ Dillashaw, Michael Bisping, or even more recently, Sean Strickland.
Volkanovski has considerably less pressure on him in this bout than his last with Makhachev, and that could very much play in his favor. While I would not be betting a tonne of money on Volkanovski, the -250 price tag is just not betable on the other side either, not in such an unpredictable spot.
All odds courtesy of DraftKings and are subject to change.
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