UFC 254 final betting odds: Khabib vs. Gaethje line tightens

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Here are the final betting odds for UFC 254, where Khabib Nurmagomedov is favored to successfully defend his lightweight belt from Justin Gaethje in the main event.  

It’s time for UFC 254, to kick off today (October 24th) from Fight island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The card’s marquee matchup will be for the UFC’s undisputed lightweight belt when the 28-0 Khabib Nurmagomedov defends his crown against the 22-2 Justin Gaethje. The co-main event is getting a top-ranked middleweight matchup between the former champ, Robert Whittaker, and a surging contender in Jared Cannonier. Bloody Elbow is on deck with the betting odds for these fights and the rest of this event’s lineup.

As usual, the oddsmakers are siding with Khabib, but this line has tightened a bit following the weigh-ins. As of our midweek betting odds post, a straight up bet on Nurmagomedov came at a cost of -335, while one on Gaethje had an attached dog tag of +275. Following a controversial scale appearance from Khabib, the champs betting line took a bit of a hit and can now be found at a more lucrative option of -280. As for Gaethje, the influx of coin in his direction brought his underdog position down as low as +205.

The over/under for this 25-minute championship bout has been set at 4.5 rounds. Gamblers can lay the price on the ‘Under’ for a cost of -188, or take the price on the ‘Over’ at a value of +170. The bet-setters are banking on this bout ending early. The exotic bet ‘Fight doesn’t go to decision‘ holds a substantially favored moneyline of -240, with ‘Fight goes to decision’ trending at +180. We are talking about Justin Gaethje after all.

The prop bet surrounding Khabib getting a finish is rocking a minus line. ‘Nurmagomedov wins inside distance’ can be acquired for -110, while ‘Nurmagomedov wins by submission’ is hovering around at +185. If it’s an upset by knockout you’re expecting, then ‘Gaethje wins by TKO/KO’ is on the table at +350. That line actually dropped down a bit from +455, which now makes ‘Gaethje wins inside distance’ at +400 the better play.

For the UFC 254 co-main event, we’ve got even odds her with both Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier clocking in at -105. Just a couple of days ago we saw Whittaker holding on to a juice-free line of +100, but there are no more plus signs to be had. The over/under for this 15-minute affair has ben set at 2.5 rounds. The ‘Under’ option is being offered up with a favored line of -112, with the ‘Over’ prop registered at -103. According to the odds, this one will not be hitting the scorecards. The exotic bet ‘Fight doesn’t go to decision’ is sporting a favored mark of -140, with a +110 comeback on the ‘Fight goes to decision’ selection.

**It should be noted that UFC 254 will have an early main card start time of 2:00 PM ET, with the prelims kicking off at 10:30 AM ET.

Check out the UFC 254 betting odds, courtesy of BestFightOdds.com:

For an in-depth breakdown of each UFC 254 matchup, check out The MMA Vivisection with Bloody Elbow’s own Zane Simon and Connor Ruebusch. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date with all of our live video content. Stay glued to Bloody Elbow for all of your event coverage including play-by-play, results, highlights, and more! Happy hunting!