Picking winners in mixed martial arts is never easy. The sport is unpredictable, the fighters at the highest levels are usually fairly evenly matched, and every event has a few surprises.
That’s why what one bettor did this weekend is so impressive: He got all 12 fights right at UFC 131, and put his money where his predictions were. The online sports book Bodog.eu confirmed on Monday that a bettor (who has not been publicly identified) put down $200 on a 12-fight parlay, went 12-for-12, and made $51,547.
“Hitting parlays in MMA happens often but to hit every fight right on a 12-fight card in one night is unheard of, especially that the parlay included a mix of favorites and a few medium underdogs, including two controversial decisions that went in the bettor’s favor.” Bodog Sports Book Director Richard Gardner told MMAFighting.com.
Getting all 12 right requires impressive knowledge of MMA, but it also requires a lot of luck: Two fights on the card, Darren Elkins vs. Michihiro Omigawa and Mark Munoz vs. Demian Maia, ended in close decisions that easily could have gone the other way.
But the judges did the bettor a favor, and as a result one lucky person is more than $50,000 richer.