Monday Morning Gambler: Gane Maintains Undefeated Status, Favorites Pay Again At UFC 265
By Dan Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
It was all over in the third round of the interim heavyweight title fight of UFC 265 late Saturday in Houston. And favorite bettors were again cashing tickets.
In main event at the Toyota Center, unbeaten Ciryl Gane defeated Derrick Lewis with a combination of shots that led to a win by KO/TKO at 0:48 of Round 3.
Gane at been around -350 with Lewis +290. Under 3.5 rounds was around -145.
His win sets up a showdown with former training partner Francis Ngannou.
“I’m happy but I’m feeling a bit bad for my man in front of his fans,” Gane said, while addressing Lewis in his hometown of Houston.
It was another good day of playing “chalk” in the UFC. Favorites at UFC 265 went 10-2-1, according to Vegas Insider and over-under was 9-4.
Next up for mixed-martial arts bettors is fight night in Las Vegas on Aug. 21. In the main event, middleweight Jarad Cannonier is about -165 vs. Kevin Gastelum at about +135.
Elsewhere:
— Preseason NFL: The NFL preseason got underway Thursday with the Hall of Fame game and the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 16-3. It was a relatively easy cover for Steelers bettors, who saw the line move all the way to -2.5 before kickoff in 70-degree weather in Canton, Ohio.
It was also a relatively easy win for under bettors, who saw the total briefly dip to 31.5 before it closed at 32 at many books. For future reference, playing under in Hall of Fame games has now been a winner in seven of the last nine Hall of Fame games, according to the New York Post.
More preseason games on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week with the Las Vegas Raiders generally around -1.5 with the total at 37.5 vs. the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.
— Lost in translation: How do you say, “That’s a cover for France” in French? Regardless, the French Olympic team did cover vs. Team USA in the gold medal game late Friday. Team USA was -12.5 or -13 and did win the game, 87-82, behind Kevin Durant’s 29 points. (Near as we can determine, the French translation is “C’est une couverture pour la France.”)
— Aces up: The Las Vegas Aces of the WNBA return to action after the Olympic Games break with two games in which they will host Washington Mystics at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. The first game is Sunday followed by a rematch on Tuesday. No betting lines yet.
— Who’s hot and who’s not: A handful of Major League Baseball teams are 8-2 over the last 10 games. The Philadelphia Phillies are one of them and have also won eight in a row after sweeping the New York Mets.
Fading the New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates has been very profitable for bettors over that stretch. The Mets have lost four in a row and are 2-8 over the last 10 games. The Pirates have lost five in a row, after being swept by the Cincinnati Reds, and are also 2-8 over the last 10 games.
