The Ultimate Fighting Championship series comes to London as UFC Fight Night 147 goes on Saturday 16 March at the city’s 02 Arena in Greenwich. A famous fighting venue, the arena has staged some memorable battles in the past and fans of MMA have flocked to buy tickets, ensuring this event will be a sell-out and fighters will do battle with the backing of a unique British sporting atmosphere. It promises to be exciting. Here are our top Darren Till v Jorge Masvidal betting tips.
The best of the card will be shown live on BT Sport and bookmakers have responded to increased levels of interest amongst domestic punters by laying on a host of thrilling betting markets. The evening’s bouts will be interesting, to say the least, but the markets offered means you can ramp up the tension with a financial interest. Have your say on the winner of the main battles or play the method of victory market for your shot at a better price, picking who will win and how they will achieve the result – KO/TKO, submission or points.
Darren Till and Jorge Mavidal go toe-to-toe in the main event and that will be backed by a talent-laden undercard, including Leon Edwards v Gunnar Nelson, Volkan Oezdemir v Dominick Reyes, Nathanial Wood v Jose Alberto Quinonez, Danny Roberts v Claudio Silva and Jack Marshman v John Phillips. There will be a few on the supporting bill that’ll see this as the perfect opportunity to put in a big performance, grab the headlines and drive themselves on to bigger and better things this year.
Till Lost Last Time
Englishman Darren Till will enjoy the backing of the crowd on fight night with the Liverpool scrapper growing in popularity on these shores. The 6ft welterweight, nicknamed The Gorilla, is a southpaw fighting out of his home city and he has a background in Muay Thai and Luta Livre, something that shows in his fighting style today. He has been active since 2010 and brings a professional record of 17 wins from 19 starts, 10 of those victories coming by way of knockout, with five on points and two by decision. There’s one loss on his card and one draw.
The spare defeat came against Tyron Woodley last time out when suffering a submission reverse in Dallas, Texas when fighting for the UFC welterweight championship. His night ended in the second round and a quick-fire return to winning ways is needed if he is to push himself back into contention for major honours. What better way to do that than with a big showing in front of an English audience who will be fiercely patriotic from the start. Many close to the game are confident Till will deliver the goods and get the result both he and his army of supporters desire.
The home hero’s last UFC win came over Stephen Thompson on points back in May of last year when topping the card in UFC Fight Night Liverpool, getting the job done over five rounds at a catchweight of 174lb after Till failed to make weight. That was a slight blot on his copybook before the start, but he was able to put that to the back of his mind and grab the victory. Three of Darren’s last four wins have all come on the scorecards and that’s worth keeping in mind when approaching the method of victory betting.
Gorilla Hot Favourite
Bookmakers seem happy enough to ignore that loss and take more from his Darren Till’s recent winning form that put him in a position to challenge for the division’s top prize. The money men have him picked for the desired result and backers looking to support Till with their hard earned cash must work for a share of the value as he’s odds-on favourite across the board. Traders at Bet365 send out 2/5 and that seems to be the general feeling in the betting ring at the time of writing. A pick best suited to accumulators, we expect, but there is enough there for big hitters to steam into as a super single.
There more to be had if playing the method of victory market where punters are tasked with picking the winner of the fight as well as how they’ll achieve the result. Till is on a run of decision victories and another looks the most likely outcome on Saturday. That’s our call and followers will get a cracking 12/5 if taking our lead. That is second favourite behind the KO/TKO at 6/4 with submission judged to be unlikely at a chunky 17/1.
Those looking for a bit more of a safety net can bet on the bout to go the distance at 6/4 and that bet will be paid as a winner regardless of who gets the nod, as long as we head to the judges’ scorecards. There are more in the specials markets, ensuring there’s something for everyone wanting a bet on this fight.
Gamebred Boasts Vital Experience
Jorge Masvidal is priced like winning isn’t likely, but the 34-year-old American will travel from his Florida base with a strong CV showing 32 wins from 45 professional MMA contests, 17 by decision, 13 by knockout and two submission victories. He’s an experienced all-rounder who is comfortable will all aspects of the sport and will know he has enough in his locker to spring a surprise in London, if fighting to the best of his ability.
Gamebred has lost each of his last two bouts, however, beaten by Demian Maia on a split decision on UFC 211 in Dallas and by Stephen Thompson on UFC 217 in New York last time, dropping that result by another decision. He has now lost four of his last seven and that’s why backers can have him as a 2/1 outsider with Bet365. The points cheer will earn you 6/1 and there may be enough in that to catch the eye of value hunters looking to profit from the upset. The underdog is certainly better than his price would have you believe.
Our Tip: Till by decision – 12/5 at Bet365
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