UFC Betting Sites – The Best MMA Online Bookies

Conor McGregor is no longer a fan of “King.”

Ryan Garcia scored a massive win against Devin Haney two weeks ago (watch highlights); however, on May 1, 2024, he tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug (PED), Ostarine, in two Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) tests before and after his win.

Garcia denies he took anything, blaming it on Ashwagandha root.

McGregor, who has heavily supported Garcia since his first professional loss, gave his thoughts on the failed drug test, which aren’t good.

“Cheated the weight and was juiced, lifetime ban,” McGregor wrote in a deleted Twitter post. “Sad to see, sad to say. Sad and a bit sick. Don’t come near me if I see you ever Ryan Garcia. I am actually disgusted. This ostarine it reminds me of Sean O’Malley was on that as well. I don’t like this, I’ll bust yous both up, do yous want a spar. I will set flights right now for you both for a full on spar each. Hotel, black forge inn the lot. #letssparomalley and #garcia two little ostarine heads l’ll ride you both like yous are ostriches.

Wtf is up. What do you think you are at? If I was Haney’s dad, you’re dead no matter what for doing that. Crazy. What the f—ck happened to you, you little fool. Get your head together cos I gonna smash it in with elbows if you don’t. Fair play Devin well done. Your performance has just become even more heroic! Bravo. GET YOUR HEAD TOGETHER OR KILL YOURSELF”

McGregor has vehemently been against fighters using steroids in combat sports and always calls it out, especially when USADA was still in the picture.

Although it is still unclear what McGregor took when he excused himself from that program.

Nevertheless, McGregor is clean now because he returns to action next month against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in Las Vegas.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Just a few weeks ago at UFC 300, former Lightweight champion Charles Oliveira suffered a competitive split-decision loss to fast-rising contender Arman Tsarukyan. It was a close fight against a great opponent, but it’s also the first time “Do Bronx” has lost a non-title fight since December 2017.

Because of the defeat, Oliveira has now lost two of his last three. The Brazilian wants to return to action quickly and get back in the win column, and he’s teased a possible jump to Welterweight in pursuit of high-profile fights. He wants a summer return, and recently, Mateusz Gamrot offered to be his next dance partner.

Oliveira isn’t all that interested.

When asked about fighting Gamrot, Oliveira responded, “Man, to be honest, he deserves all the respect. He is doing a great job. With all respect, I’m not looking behind, just forward … Everyone now wants to face Charles, everybody wants to fight whoever is up front. It’s part of it, let it happen. We have to always be ready, but I don’t think so. We have to think properly and see what would work out. It might be that forward, yes, but right now I think it’s not what the moment is.”

In other words: thanks, but no thanks.

At the moment, Gamrot is ranked No. 5 at 155-pounds, meaning turning him away would still be a significant win for the former champion that helps get him closer to a title shot. However, he’s far from the biggest name in the Lightweight division. If Oliveira is motivated by scoring big fights more than anything else, it makes sense why he would want to weigh his options before committing to “Gamer” as his return.

July and August aren’t too far off, so expect “Do Bronx” to receive an opponent sooner than later.

Insomnia

I like the idea of One Championship’s hydration testing, but the amount of title fights disrupted by the scale is disappointing.

Featherweight b-b-b-banger alert!

Is virtual competition the real future of combat sports? How many decades until all the brain damage is merely theoretical?

I know a ton of MMA fighters who lie and wear contacts in the cage, but I cannot say I’ve ever heard of anyone dipping their feet in honey.

The war on banana trees continues.

Jon Jones reacts to some terminally online MMA Twitter dude dropping a 40-minute conspiracy video that he’s gay:

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Yoshiki Takei would appear to have the touch of death is his lead hand.

Who the f—k is Steve Erceg? Watch some clips below and see for yourself!

Fighting off the ropes is a better option than just standing there, but that doesn’t make it safe.

Random Land

Hit the target perfectly.

Midnight Music: Indie rock, 2012

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

Let’s look over UFC 301’s “Prelims” undercard bouts and the interesting wagers they provide …

UFC 301 goes down this Saturday night (May 4, 2024) inside Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pay-per-view (PPV) main event sees Flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja, defending his title against relative newcomer, Steve Erceg. UFC 301’s co-main event features UFC Hall of Famer and former Featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, coming out of retirement (as fighters are wont to do) to take on the dangerous Jonathan Martinez (see things get chippy between these two here).

Earlier this week, we covered all the money line odds available for UFC 301, but now it’s time to focus in on the “Prelims” undercard portion of the card. The “Prelims” — like the rest of the card — feature a “Brazil vs. The World” theme. In most cases, the Brazilian fighters are favorites. Nearly all the bouts have pretty lopsided odds, leading to some MMA Maniacs to suggest there’s little value on this card.

However, let’s take a deep dive on UFC 301’s “Prelims” and see if anything stands out:

UFC 301 Late ‘Prelims’ Under Card Money Line Odds

Jack Shore (+140) vs. Joanderson Brito (-166)
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (+320) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (-410)
Elves Brener (+205) vs. Myktybek Orolbai (-250)
Jean Silva (-120) vs. William Gomis (+100)

UFC 301 Early ‘Prelims’ Under Card Money Line Odds

Joaquim Silva (+150) vs. Drakkar Klose (-180)
Mauricio Ruffy (-218) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (+180)
Dione Barbosa (-238) vs. Ernesta Kareckaite (+195)
Ismael Bonfim (-520) vs. Vinc Pichel (+390)
Alessandro Costa (-130) vs. Kevin Borjas (+110)

UFC 301 ‘Prelims’ Line Movement

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

We are going to breakdown line movements across the whole card in much more detail tomorrow right here. But, for now, there’s been some interesting moves involving UFC 301’s “Prelims” undercard:

• Drakkar Klose’s odds to beat Joaquim Silva have shortened from -162 to -180 in the last few days. Silva’s price has risen from +130 to +150.
• Jamie Mullarkey’s odds are the most turbulent on the entire card. He was a -180 favorite when his fight with Mauricio Ruffy was announced and now he’s a +180 underdog (increasing from a +142 dog on Monday). Significant money must be coming in on Ruffy, who is currently a -218 favorite.
• William Gomis — one of my favorite dogs on the card — has seen his odds move from +135 to +100 in the past few days.
• Ernesta Kareckaite’s odds have risen from +170 to +195 in the last few days.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

UFC 301 ‘Prelims’ Prop Bets

At this point in the week, DraftKings have hit us with hundreds of prop bets for this international PPV card. Here are some interesting picks involving Saturday’s undercard:

Dione Barbosa to defeat Ernesta Kareckaite via submission (+225)

Barbosa has won half her six professional fights submission and earned her UFC contract with an armbar finish over Rainn Guerrero on Contender Series last year. Barbosa is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt who was on the Brazilian Judo team for the Olympics. Kareckaite, meanwhile, is primarily a stand-up fighter, hence her “Heavy Hands” nickname. She fights out of Lithuania, where I imagine it’s difficult to get top grappling exposure. She also has very long arms, which will help her when standing, but could be a liability on the ground (against someone well-versed in gobbling up limbs).

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Jamie Mullarkey to defeat Mauricio Ruffy via KO/TKO (+600)

Mullarkey is an underdog here, despite being listed as a favorite when this fight was first announced. Ruffy is a 30-year-old Contender Series graduate who has only fought on the Brazilian regional scene. His one loss is a technical knockout to Manoel Sousa in 2019 (see that below). Ruffy likes to get into fire fights, with his hands down low. Mullarkey will give him a brawl if he wants one and who’s to say Mullarkey (with far more Octagon-level experience) can’t find his chin?

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Karolina Kowalkiewicz to defeat Iasmin Lucindo via decision (+450)

If you like Kowalkiewicz as an underdog here — against a fighter young enough to be her daughter — then you might as well take her to win via decision. Kowalkiewicz has won 12 of her 16 professional wins by decision. The first three finishes of her career all came during her first five bouts between 2012 and 2014. The only other finish she has is a submission over a 37-year-old Felice Herrig in 2022 (watch it here). Lucindo is getting a lot of respect here despite having only a 15-5 record and holding losses to the middling Gabriella Fernandes and Invicta washout Barbara Acioly.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Jean Silva vs. William Gomis to be won via split/majority decision (+350)

I think this is a really close fight and I think both men will be able to avoid getting finished. So, I believe there is a very good chance this goes to the judges and that those judges have a hard time figuring out who won (hometown cooking aside). Also, Gomis’ last two decisions have been a split (vs. Francis Marshall) and a majority (vs. Jarno Errens). Silva has only heard the judges’ decision once, but Gomis represents a real step up in competition for him.

Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel to end in the 1st 60 seconds of Round 1 (+1400)

Here’s the “Hail Mary” for the week. I’m thinking there’s a chance Bonfim takes out Pichel in one minute or less. He’s the first relatively recognizable Brazilian talent on the card, so the crowd should be really hot for him (just like they were when he knocked out Terrance McKinney with a flying knee — watch it). Maybe he feeds off the crowd again on Saturday and blitzes away his 41-year-old opponent. Bonfim has two sub-minute wins in his career, though one was in 2013 and the other was due to an injury. In 2020, he scored a technical knockout win in 1:12 and a year before that he got an anaconda choke win in 1:39.

Poll Time

Which of these UFC 301 “Prelims” props do you like the most? Let us know what other “Prelims” props have caught your attention in the comments below.

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 301: “Pantoja vs. Erceg” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Jiri Prochazka might not have to wait very long for another shot at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gold.

Alex Pereira, 36, made more history at UFC 295 this past November 2023. Battling for vacant gold against the former Light Heavyweight champion, Prochazka, Pereira became a two-division champion with his second round technical knockout win (watch highlights) after previously holding the Middleweight crown.

Both fighters returned to action at UFC 300 this past month (April 13, 2024). Before Pereira successfully defended his title with a first round knockout of Jamahal Hill (watch highlights) in the main event, Prochazka provided a rude welcome back for the perennial contender, Aleksandar Rakic, with a second round technical knockout (watch highlights). Despite the win getting Prochazka back on a one-fight winning “streak,” it appears to have been enough to put him in title fight consideration.

Sorry, Magomed Ankalaev.

“Breaking news,” Pereira said at a UFC 301 media scrum (h/t MMA Fighting). “I think if I wait for that fight it will take too long. I want to fight earlier than that and I think, as far as we know, most likely the next in line is going to be Prochazka. Ankalaev is going to have to wait a little bit. I know Jamahal Hill’s been talking some trash, but is also going to have to wait a little longer. I think Prochazka’s the next one.”

Few fighters have been as unlucky as the top Light Heavyweight, Ankalaev, in recent years. Holding a 10-1-1 (1 no contest) record in UFC (18-1-1, 1 no contest overall), the Russian has been undefeated since his promotional debut in March 2018. Unfortunately for him, his lone bid for gold against Jan Blachowicz resulted in a split draw at UFC 282 in December 2022. He’s been stuck dealing with Johnny Walker ever since.

Ideally, Pereira hoped to make a ridiculously quick turnaround after his recent win by fighting at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this weekend (Sat., May 4, 2024). Unsurprisingly, nothing came together for the event and the headliner remains the Flyweight title clash between the champion, Alexandre Pantoja, and challenger, Steve Erceg.

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MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 301 fight card on fight night, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 301: “Pantoja vs. Erceg” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive events archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 301 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.