UFC 2020 Recap: Rizz’s Q1 Gambling Perspective
This year has been a wild ride for all of us, to put it politely. There has been the highest of highs and lowest of lows and this rings certainly true when assessing the horrid sports year that is/was 2020. This disgustingly accurate description is also verifiably correct for how 2020 was from a gambler’s perspective, especially for one’s that like to partake in wagering on barbaric human cockfighters being locked in a cage and fighting with different limbs and orifices’.
This UFC 2020 Recap blog post is going to recap the best, and worst, bets that yours truly has placed a slip on throughout the first quarter of 2020. For better or worse, lets take a jog down memory lane.
January
There were just a mere two events in the opening month of 2020. At this time, Corona was nothing more than a refreshing beverage, enjoyed with either a lime or lemon on different beaches and pool decks around the world. Life was good. Or at least better.
Throughout those two events, I went 13-10, going just 4-7 at UFC 246, followed by a 9-3 scorcher at UFC: Blaydes vs. dos Santos.
Before I share my worst and best bets, this is completely subjective. I am combining performance, betting lines, public backing, and everything alike when making these decisions.
My worst bet, and I don’t think it is remotely close, was laying a -250 line on Nasrat Haqparast against Drew Dober at UFC 246. I felt good about this one. Really good. However, even as one of my best bets of the night, Haqparast was beat similarly to how a human steps on an ant or any microscopic insect for that matter. Effortlessly and somewhat insulting.
Any bad bet needs to be followed by a good one, and that is exactly what Michael Chiesa was just a week later. He was a +165 underdog against Rafael dos Anjos and won somewhat decisively. I didn’t understand the line, and the good guys slipped one past the big, bad wolf that is Vegas.
February
The UFC was in full effect in the second month of the year, with four events and three championship fights across them. We started the month 4-1 at UFC 247, then went a mere 1-3 at UFC: Anderson vs. Blachowicz. After that, I took the next two events off. I needed to look myself in the mirror, spit on my losing reflection, and take a two week break.
Across the two events that we bet on, the worst bet was Nathaniel Wood against John Dodson. I loved Wood in this spot at -165. Now, I am not one to make excuses, but this was on the same night as the finale of Survivor. Again, not one to make excuses.
I actually have two favorite/best bets from February, both coming from the main card of UFC 247. The first being Derrick Lewis and Illir Latifi to go the distance at +240. I thought Latifi would be able to implement a clinch game that would nullify Lewis’ strategy to sit in the pocket and toss. The next one, and I LOVED this one, was Valentina Shevchenko to win inside the distance against Katlyn Chookagian at +155. Both of those cashed and cashed seamlessly. What a bender.
March
March 2020. A month that I think we will all remember for the rest of our lives. One moment, I was an ordinary college student, working a part time job, and blogging whenever I was able to seek out a moment of free time. In the blink of an eye, I had grown a full moustache, biked over 5 miles a day, and started to indulge in the world of stocks. Life comes at you fast, kids.
There were only two events in March, and I only bet one of them. At UFC: Lee vs. Oliveira, we went 3-1 and had a profitable event. Little did we know that profitable event would, in turn, correlate to a profitable month.
With only four betting slips, there aren’t many bets to choose from, but the sole loss, Johnny Walker -140 against Nikita Krylov, was indeed an awful bet. I was riding the Walker train and I put trust into his mohawk and piercing brown eyes. However, I watched those piercing brown eyes get dominated for 15 minutes. I learned a valuable lesson, though; stay away from betting lines of any person’s hair that changes colors in like manner of a mood ring.
The best bet of the night/month was Charles Oliveira against Kevin Lee at +125. I loved Oliveira in this spot and have been on him for quite some time. It was a good win, but little did we know that was going to be the last fight we watched until May.
In the next Bettor’s Tale, I will recap April, May, and June. Let the good times roll.
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