I had an interview in a recent press release about the UFC taking over boxing in terms of betting revenues. Here are some great quotes from it.
“The handle on mixed martial arts has been steadily growing over the past 2 years. 2007 will mark the first year that MMA handle will surpass boxing,” says Bodog.com’s sportsbook manager. He also stated that in terms of betting handle, there’s a larger amount of bettors when big name fighters are involved in the UFC event. “The Jackson vs. Liddell main event accounted for two thirds of the entire handle for UFC 71, whereas Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz was responsible for only a third of the UFC 73 handle, with the Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira fight and the other title fights combining for another 50%.”
That was a big statement, and puts into perspective the amount of people wagering on UFC’s events. To see how much UFC has grown in just the past 6-12 months is incredible.
