On June 7 at UFC 316 in Newark's Prudential Center, Merab Dvalishvili will face Sean O’Malley in a bantamweight title match, as reports emerge that the UFC is aiming for a minimum of $1 billion annually in a new broadcasting rights agreement.
Topuria vs. Oliveira Creating Wagering Hype
The UFC possesses personality and star appeal – valuable content that networks are eager to adopt and capitalize on for revenue.
The ongoing agreement between the promotion and ESPN concludes at the end of 2025, with TKO Group Holdings President and COO Mark Shapiro stating at a J.P. Morgan Global, Technology, Media and Communications conference on Tuesday that financial aspects are not the sole priority – brand suitability is also a crucial consideration in the UFC's choice, as noted in a report by MMA Fighting.
Shapiro stated they are negotiating with various networks and streaming services eager to secure broadcast rights. UFC athletes frequently feature on ESPN shows. Within that exists marketing possibilities that extend beyond merely the events taking place in the Octagon.
DraftKings odds for Saturday’s championship fights: Dvalishvili is at -380, O’Malley is at +300. UFC 316 includes a women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Julianna Pena and Kayla Harrison, who is the heavy favorite at -575, while Pena is at +425.
Topuria Desired a Makhachev Bout
There's considerable excitement surrounding Ilia Topuria versus Charles Oliveira, now scheduled for UFC 317 on June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, for the lightweight title, as we reported yesterday.
UFC CEO Dana White revealed the date and venue for Dricus du Plessis against Khamzat Chimaev for the middleweight championship at UFC 319, set to take place at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 16.
Topuria aimed to compete against Islam Makhachev, the top-ranked UFC fighter in the pound-for-pound category, who relinquished his lightweight championship to ascend to welterweight in search of a second title versus Jack Della Maddalena.
Topuria came after Makhachev today: “It was the match that everyone wanted to witness. I was prepared to accomplish it. He is the largest hypocrite I have ever encountered.
Effect on Wagering Odds
Once more, controversy, flair, excitement, and energy accompany the UFC, and these elements will be considered in a new broadcasting agreement. Topuria is the favored bet at DraftKing at -345, while Oliveira is positioned at +275. Chimaev stands at -198 on DraftKings, while Du Plessis is at +164.
In discussing UFC 315 this past weekend in Montreal, UK-based BetVictor trader Mark Collier highlighted the influence of star power on betting odds for UFC events from their perspective.
In Montreal, Della Maddalena defeated Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision to secure the welterweight title, which will now be defended in a match against Makhachev, with the date yet to be determined.
"Betting business was the norm for a PPV without a fighter who I would class as an elite level of popularity,” Collier told Casino.org. “The current and active elite fighters are Alex Perreira and Paddy Pimblett, who both hold numbers around about 30% higher than typical PPVs or Saturday’s UFC 315. Quickly looking at UFC 314, our figures were 27% higher than this past Saturday and this was with ‘Paddy the Baddy’ as the co-main. Could you imagine if the Scouser got his lightweight title fight in Liverpool and had solid bouts accompanying this – numbers would potentially compete with non-active events such as Jon Jones or Conor McGregor.”
Pimblett Up Next?
From a betting number standpoint, Topuria presents figures that exceed those of many recent champions, Collier noted. Collier mentioned he believes the victor at UFC 317 will compete against Pimblett in 2025, and the relationship between Topuria and Pimblett is strained following numerous online interactions.
"[Topuria’s] last outing at UFC 308 where he comfortably dispatched Max Holloway (whom I would class as someone who would win a lot of fan favourite polls), operated around 12-13% higher than most of the recent PPVs. With the consideration of this turnover maybe due to Holloway being the opponent, we go further back to his bout against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, which had more reasonable turnover, making us think that his popularity doesn’t hold much weight.
“With this in mind, his performance or impact to our numbers is more down to opponent and the potential trash talk pre-event. I have no doubt his bout with Charles at UFC 317 will correlate with numbers generated against Max Holloway with future possibilities of fighting Paddy Pimblett taking numbers to another stratosphere.”
Broadcasting Agreement Concludes at the End of 2025
The allure and spectacle surrounding these fighters increases betting enthusiasm, Collier noted, particularly more than a fighter such as Makhachev, whose tactical fighting approach is perceived as unexciting by some fans.
"To balance this, another kind of fan feels at ease with this method, so trust that Makhachev is more apt to effectively implement his fighting style," he stated. "Khabib [Nurmagomedov] and Islam, whether by decision or late submission, have consistently posed risky factors for any bookmaker, and this is unlikely to change for Islam Makhachev in the future."
