At this point, we will settle for a Jon Jones fight against absolutely anybody. People forget that the sport has been missing one of the best pound for pound mixed martial artists in UFC history. If/when Jon Jones returns to the octagon, you have to imagine he will want an immediate shot at the heavyweight or light heavyweight belt. Assuming Jones goes the heavyweight route (which he has hinted towards), that could lead to this dream matchup right here.
From a betting perspective, several bookmakers have floated this look ahead line around (-220) for Ngannou as a favorite, and Jon Jones as a (+180) underdog. Jon Jones has only been a betting underdog twice in his entire UFC career (his first two fights), and he won both of those. Francis Ngannou was an underdog in his most recent victory against Ciryl Gane. Francis Ngannou has won all 4 times he was an underdog in his career, so both him and Jon Jones have being undefeated as an underdog in common. Betting aside, we hope to see Bones Jones return to the octagon in 2022.
This is a trilogy fight that many are surprised we haven’t already seen by now. These two fighters are currently split 1-1, and both fights were absolutely electric! On the betting side of this, we saw a HUGE line adjustment from the first fight to the second fight. In the first fight, Conor McGregor closed as a massive (-475) betting favorite. After Conor lost that fight, the odds on the 2nd fight had McGregor as just a (-135) favorite in the rematch.
A lot has changed for these two since the last time they fought in August 2016. Regardless of the time that has passed, it is safe to say that this would be one of the biggest fights of the year if it happens. It sounds like a Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz fight could be more likely to happen before this one. However, at some point, we have to imagine these two will settle the 1-1 split.
*Interesting Betting Fact - Conor McGregor had similar drastic line movement in his trilogy with Dustin Poirier. Conor was a (-330) favorite in the second fight, and closed as a (+115) underdog in the third fight.
Truthfully, out of all of these “dream” fights, this is the one we would pay the most money to see. Not only are these two fighters both undefeated and surging up the welterweight rankings, but many believe these are the two top upcoming contenders to Kamaru Usman.
Khamzat Chimaev has a hype train behind him that we have not seen since the early days of Conor McGregor. That being said, Sean Brady is the perfect candidate to derail that hype train. Brady is coming off of a big win against one of the division's toughest outs in Michael Chiesa, and also just won a grappling match against Craig Jones on December 30th. Craig Jones is respected as one of the best grapplers on the planet. If you think Khamzat is going to walk over to Sean Brady, pick him up, and drag him over to Dana White (like he has done to his previous opponents), then you need to do some more homework on the Philly native.
Betting wise, this one is even more interesting. The bookmakers have shown a lot of respect to both of these fighters. Both have been priced at a premium in their last few bouts. Khamzat closed as roughly a (-550) favorite in his last fight against Li Jingliang. Brady closed at roughly (-200) against a much stronger opponent (Michael Chiesa). If we look specifically at the numbers, Sean Brady is ranked higher, has more wins, and those wins are against tougher competition. Khamzat has created an impressive buzz and highlight reel early in his career, but we haven't seen him tested against a top 10 opponent. This is one of those fights that feels inevitable to happen at some point, but will it be in 2022?
Whenever we do get this matchup, it will feel like a Rocky (or Creed) movie for the city of Philadelphia.
This fight feels like it’s been brewing for years. These two reignited their beef at the UFC 269 press conference, nearly squaring off at the event. After the press conference, these two had two opposite results in the outcome of their fights. Garbrandt fell victim to a big knockout, falling to 1-5 in his last 6 fights. Sean O’Malley won his fight via 1st round KO, moving his streak to 3 straight knockout victories.
It’s worth noting that Sean O’Malley has NEVER been a betting underdog in his career. We could not find any estimated look ahead betting lines for this fight. Cody Garbrandt was a favorite in his most recent bout against Kai Kara France. He’s also notably been a favorite against TJ Dillashaw. It’s hard to imagine the bookmakers wouldn’t open this one in favor of O’Malley, based on their recent career trajectories, and the ticket liability O'Malley generates. People love to bet on Sugar Sean O'Malley, and the bookmakers will always do their best to use that to the sportsbooks advantage. This would be a fight where you’d want to monitor where the betting line opens, and where it closes. Remember, it is the sharp and respected money that moves these betting lines. It would be interesting to see where the big guns would put their money in this matchup, and how the bookmakers would react.
Regardless of the outcome, this would be one of the most entertaining matchups that we could ask for in 2022. Especially if you enjoy a fight with some bad blood!
Starting with the betting side of things, it will be very interesting to see where this line opens in the rematch. Juliana Pena was a HUGE underdog in the first fight (+650). Amanda Nunes closed as high as a (-1250) favorite on most sportsbooks. Typically when we see big upsets like Juliana Pena had, the betting lines are drastically different in the rematch.
For those who didn’t see this fight, be sure to make your way over to UFC Fight Pass or YouTube and give it a watch. From start to finish, this fight was exciting, the fans were roaring, and it left us all craving more action between these two. Amanda Nunes has made it clear that she wants the rematch, Juliana Pena has made it clear she will give Nunes the rematch. Let’s hope we get it sooner rather than later, and be sure to have your popcorn ready at the press conference!
