SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Las Vegas bookmakers were left bruised and battered by Holly Holm’s shock knockout victory of Ronda Rousey in Saturday’s UFC 193 main event.
Holm’s a former boxer turned MMA fighter had been given 10/1 odds of defeating Ronda Rousey the acclaimed ‘Queen of UFC’ fighting.
Rousey’s reign as UFC female bantamweight champion was so dominant that she had never been past the second round in any of her professional fights.
Vegas bookmakers had therefore shorted Rousey’s price to 1/9, offering no value on her winning the fight.
Seeing no appetite from bookmakers to take wagers on Rousey, eager UFC punters had piled on their money with Holms. Vegas news sources report that Holm’s underdog wagers outnumbered Rousey’s by 5 to 1.
Holms would shock UFC audiences and commentators by dominating the first round of action against Rousey. Fifty five seconds into round 2 Holm’s would deliver a brutal head kick knocking out Rousey and ending her reign as bantamweight champion.
UFC President Dana White stated that Holm’s victory over Rousey was without doubt the biggest upset in the sport’s history.
Jay Kornegay Vice president of Westgate Las Vegas Superbook told US news sources “The results around town were not good. Most books got crushed as typical underdog betting was popular.”
