UFC 185 Odds, Bets, and Picks: MMA Underdogs Gaining Support

While big Ultimate Fighting Championship names like Anthony Pettis and Johny Hendricks headline Saturday’s UFC 185 card in Dallas, don’t be surprised if some underdogs make big statements before the night is done.

Late last month underdogs swept the card at UFC Fight Night 61 helping some savvy mixed martial arts bettors cash in bags of loot. A few weeks later, a ton of bettors followed that trend and put their support behind challenger Cat Zingano faced bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Less than 15 seconds after the opening bell, those underdog bets were worthless as Rousey’s arm was raised again in victory.

Sports Interaction UFC 185 odds

Such is life in MMA betting, where identifying live underdogs is crucial to long-term success. No matter what way you look at it, Saturday’s card is stacked with interesting fights. Check out your best bets for a few of them and get your wagers in at Sportsinteraction.com.

Matt Brown +255 vs. Johny Hendricks -341

The big story here is Johny “Big Rig” Hendricks and whether he can get back into the title conversation after losing his belt to Robbie Lawler at UFC 181. Hendricks had a terrible time making weight for that fight and promises that won’t be an issue this time around after changing his training regime and diet. He definitely looks like he’s in much better shape, though you have to wonder how he’ll deal with the adjustment in the octagon. On the other hand, you know what Matt Brown is going to bring – everything. He had a seven-fight winning streak snapped in a five-round decision loss to Lawler, so that speaks for itself. Hendricks is getting way too much love on this line.

Pick: Brown scores the upset with a split-decision.

Roy Nelson +170 vs. Alistair Overeem -217

This is another line you have to take a second look at. Overeem may be coming off a win over Stefan Struve, but he’d been knocked out in three of his four fights before that. Nelson needs a win too. He’s coming off a knockout loss to Mark Hunt and has just one win in his last four as well. The thing about Nelson is he doesn’t get a lot of respect. He’s great on the ground and can knock out anybody in the world. With Nelson, you know what you’re going to get. Overeem is just too much of a question mark – especially now with the UFC’s ramped up PED testing (ahem).

Pick: Nelson by second-round knockout.

Rafael Dos Santos +325 vs. Anthony Pettis -455

Dos Santos has a lot to offer and this won’t be the last time we see him in a major lightweight bout, but Pettis is on a different level. His submission game gets overlooked just because his knockouts are replayed constantly ahead of this fight. Pettis wants to cement himself as one of the biggest pay-per-view buys in the sport and another win will put him on track for another title defence with Donald Cerrone or Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Pick: Pettis by third-round knockout