By Dan Behringer of LVSportsBiz.com
After 52 seconds in Round 2 and a series of powerful left hands from Francis Ngannou in the main event at UFC 260, bettors on Ngannou held winning tickets.
Decent ones, too, at around -130, rewarding bettors who had been patient as the price dropped. Ngannou had opened as high as -175 months ago.
Ngannou, a 34-year-old Las Vegas resident by way of Cameroon, avenged his loss to Stipe Miocic in 2018 to win by TKO and took the heavyweight title belt at the UFC’s Apex facility in southwest Las Vegas on Saturday.
Referring to his earlier loss to Miocic, Ngannou told Reuters, “I have a great outcome from that fight. It was a great benefit from that fight and I believe that that benefit pushed me, rose me higher than this.”
Former UFC owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, who hadn’t publicly attended a fight night since they sold the company in 2016, were among the sparse crowd at Apex, The Associated Press reported.
UFC 260 was a good day to bet favorites, who went 9-1, according to Vegas Insider.
UFC 261 will take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 24, where the Sunshine State’s more lenient attendance restrictions will allow a capacity crowd of around 15,000.
Elsewhere:
— And now there are eight. The Elite Eight, that is in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, with games scheduled for Monday and Tuesday to pare the field to the Final Four.
Heavily favored and undefeated Gonzaga has won — and covered — its first three tournament games including a 83-65 dismantling of Creighton on Sunday as a 13-point favorite.
Futures odds on the Bulldogs have dropped from +220 to +125, according to Vegas Insider. Baylor remains about +400, Michigan is +600, Houston is +700 and Arkansas is +1600. USC is +1800. UCLA and Oregon State are each +2000.
The National Semifinals are Saturday, and the Finals are next Monday. The last time an undefeated team took the title was 1976 when the Indiana Hoosiers went undefeated wire-to-wire.
— The Vegas Golden Knights avenged a loss to the Colorado Avalanche two days earlier with a 3-2 win in overtime on Saturday. For Golden Knights bettors who waited through the overtime period, it was rewarding payday at around +160. Under 5.5 was also a winner.
“That’s how you beat a good team on the road,” coach Pete DeBoer told reporters after the game. “I thought for the believers out there, thanks for sticking with us.”
The Vegas Golden Knights, now 23-8 and 13-2 at home at T-Mobile Arena, are -210 when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. The total is 5.5.
— There’s a full slate of Major League Baseball on Thursday. First pitch will be from New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole at Yankee Stadium at 10:05 a.m. vs. Hyun Jin Ryu of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees are around -185 with the total at 7.5.
Five minutes later, Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians starts vs. Matthew Boyd at the Detroit Tigers. The Indians are around -195 with a total of 7.5. Snow is possible.
Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers will go at 1:10 p.m. at Coors Field vs. Germán Márquez of the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers are around -220 with a total of 11.