Saturday night’s action will probably feel like a letdown, but some clever bets on the UFC 265 odds could make up for some of the lost hype. There will be no Amanda Nunes-Julianna Pena bout, but the main card features MMA action available at Illinois sportsbooks.
Due to a positive COVID-19 test, the bout featuring “The Lionness” is on an indefinite delay. A men’s fight for the interim heavyweight title remains on the card, however, among other events.
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UFC 265 odds still on their feet without Nunes
On Saturday, Aug. 7, at the Toyota Center in Houston, undefeated newcomer Ciryl Gane will change Derrick Lewis for the interim men’s heavyweight title. The winner will face Francis Ngannou in the future to remove the interim tag from that distinction.
Bettors will have to wait even longer to see if Amanda Nunes can push her winning streak to a baker’s dozen. UFC has not yet set a new date for her to face Julianna Pena. A spokesperson said it will happen when Nunes is fully healthy.
Prior to the postponement, Nunes had been a -850 favorite over Pena.
With Gane vs. Lewis now the sole main event, here’s what Saturday’s main card looks like, starting at 9 p.m. Central. You can watch UFC 265 on the big screen at FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing. It is available for pay-per-view on ESPN+.
Song Yadong vs Casey Kenney, men’s bantamweight
Tecia Torres vs Angela Hill, women’s strawweight
Vicente Luque vs Michael Chiesa, men’s welterweight
Jose Aldo vs Pedro Munhoz, men’s bantamweight
Derrick Lewis vs Ciryl Gane, men’s heavyweight
Due to Gane’s stellar performances throughout his professional career, he enters Saturday as a consensus favorite at Illinois sportsbooks. BetRivers Sportsbook has him -335 on the moneyline, for example. There are some prop bets for more adventurous bettors, too.
Props and totals for Gane vs Lewis, other UFC 265 odds
BetRivers has the shortest UFC odds in its winning method market on Gane by KO, TKO or DQ. As of publication, that line sits at +110. The same book has +150 odds on the fight going the distance. DraftKings Sportsbook, in comparison, has a line of +155 on over 4.5 rounds.
Lewis enters on a four-fight winning streak, hoping to continue to use his raw strength to equalize this bout against Gane. Gane looks like the more talented competitor in essentially every other area, however. For a better value, bettors might want to look down the card.
PointsBet Sportsbook‘s current moneyline bets on the rest of the main card bouts are:
- Kenney -125, Yadong -100
- Torres -140, Hill +112
- Luque -130, Chiesa +105
- Aldo -115, Munhoz +110
Chiesa has a gauntlet to run of sorts. Because of his wrestling ability, his best strategy might be to get Luque on the mat. At the same time, Luque’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess makes him dangerous up close. Chiesa has to figure out how to control Luque without taking damage.
As is normally the case, FanDuel Sportsbook customers can use UFC Parlay Insurance. Place a parlay wager with at least five legs and no more than one leg per fight. If you hit on all legs but one, FanDuel will credit your account up to $25 or the value of your bet, whichever is lesser.
As the week goes on, the variety and volume of markets for this fight on IL sports betting apps will improve. Hopefully, the volume of events on this card won’t diminish any further due to COVID-19 or anything else.
