Luckily, the undercard of the show provides a way to milk a little bit of money out of UFC 89 thanks to some mismatches and the joys of parlay betting. Lines are not yet set for Paul Taylor vs. Chris Lytle or Paul Kelly vs. Marcus Davis, but we can safely assume that Lytle and Kelly will be favorites. Both are pretty safe bets, as Davis facing someone who will stand and trade with him, which is foolish in the extreme, and Lytle is far more well rounded and experienced than his opponent. Parlaying these two together, along with either Bisping, Jardine, or both, could provide a pretty substantial payout for a relatively small investment.
It’s hard to say how many of the fights will be available for wagers, but just in case, Per Eklund, Sam Stout, and Akihiro Gono would be another decent parlay regardless of lines, or any of the fighters might be nice to add to an existing parlay to sweeten up the payoff without putting your chances in too much danger. The biggest fight to avoid, in my opinion, is Sokoudjou vs. Luiz Cane. Cane has proven he is a well rounded guy with some serious punching power. Sokoudjou looked insane in PRIDE, destroying top 5 fighters left and right, but was brutally handled by Machida. As a gambler, I’m in wait-and-see mode on Sokoudjou. I’m reticent to put any money on him until he proves he isn’t another Cro Cop.
So basically, to maximize your money on this show, I’d recommend only a few straight up wagers, and instead going with 2 fairly safe parlays. This isn’t the kind of show where you are going to make a fortune, but it’s still more than possible to turn a decent profit.
Visit our predictions page for betting advice on UFC 89.
