Whether you’re a handicapping wiz or enjoy casual wagering on the UFC, knowing some of the world’s most profitable fighters can give you a new outlook on how to approach the betting markets next time they compete.
Today’s article isn’t a guide on undefeated fighters guaranteed to earn you profits every time they compete. Still, it does involve some impressive win streaks and price points that have assisted my bankroll over the years due to oddsmakers failing to correct the market.
Let’s dive into the top five most profitable fighters I like to bet on. Hopefully, by the end, you’ll know what to look for when building your own collection of the most profitable fighters to wager on.
Leon Edwards: Elite Striking with Excellent TD Defense
The current welterweight champion of the world, Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards, has unquestionably been one of the most profitable fighters in combat sports over the past nine years. With an undefeated record dating back to 2015 and an underrated striking prowess that’s seen him dominate the opposition in striking exchanges, it’s not just an impressive win streak that makes him an excellent wager—it’s also the prices we’ve received on him!
Edwards is currently riding a 12-fight win streak. In four of those contests, sportsbooks labeled him as a plus-money underdog. In addition, two of those underdog positions were +200 or higher.
Looking at the other eight bouts, bookmakers severely underestimated the British striking sensation even as the betting favorite. His odds have been -160 or lower in four of the eight contests he’s entered as a betting favorite, and on just two occasions, they have gone beyond the -200 mark.
Edwards was often criticized as a one-dimensional fighter. Still, his amazing takedown defense led him to defeat Kamaru Usman, a former pound-for-pound #1, in back-to-back contests.
From a return-on-investment standpoint, you’ll struggle to find a more profitable fighter on the roster in recent years, as elite striking with noteworthy takedown defense is a set of attributes always worth noting.
Lerone Murphy: Quietly Dominating
The UFC loves to produce superstars, and while in-cage talent always comes first, their fighters need to build a substantial fan base to put butts in seats and eyes before pay-per-views. However, when a fighter quietly goes under the radar, this is perhaps the best scenario for bettors, as the lines aren’t steamed, and profits are to be made.
England’s Lerone Murphy is the perfect example of a fighter misjudged by the oddsmaker on multiple occasions. With five wins, one draw, and zero losses since joining the promotion in
2019, he’s been labeled with two underdog prices, and as a favorite, we’ve often received very playable lines.
Outside of his scheduled bout with Makwan Amirkhani, Murphy has never been priced above -180 and has cashed in 5 straight bouts since his debut draw with Zubaira Tukhugov.
Main-event fighters are the company’s backbone, but Murphy is a prime example of how talent on the undercard can deliver some nice profits on their come-up.
Charles Oliveira: A Dangerous Finisher
With fourteen years of experience as a UFC lightweight and a promotional record of 22-9-1, I could spend hours writing about Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira’s highs and lows alone. However, we don’t have time for that, so let’s get to the nitty gritty.
Oliveira is a former lightweight champion who has been floating in the top ten for almost four years. However, his first ten years with the promotion weren’t plain sailing. Before 2017, Oliveira struggled for consistency and was often regarded as a fighter with durability issues. He was stopped via KO/TKO or submission in seven of his eight losses at the time, and to be honest, he was a fighter you’d be willing to fade at the bookies.
However, prime Oliveira had yet to be unleashed. Between 2018 and 2022, he went on an 11-fight win streak, cemented his position as a top-ranked contender, and won a title, all while being overlooked by the oddsmakers.
Dangerous on the feet and with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, prime Oliveira has been a goldmine for bettors because of his ability to finish fights wherever they may play out.
With only one defeat in his 13 most recent outings, the Brazilian ace cashed as an underdog four times and was -170 or lower on another five occasions during this stretch.
Tom Aspinall: A Complete Heavyweight
Before you ask, I don’t have a bias for British fighters just because I reside in this region. It just so happens that three of our top five favorite fighters to bet on are from the UK, and the numbers don’t lie.
The heavyweight division has often been tricky; it rarely delivers fighters with elite skills in all facets of MMA. That said, Tom Aspinall has been one of the rare exceptions. He can strike, wrestle and grapple, all while possessing a unique speedy pace that most big boys cannot keep up with, as he achieved heavyweight interim champion honors with a 100% finish rate.
The majority of heavyweights are either one-punch knockout hunters or crafty wrestlers. Moreover, many of these brutes seemingly neglect a serious diet and present a lot of unnecessary body fat. This often presents difficulties going far against Aspinall. While bookmakers have provided some juiced lines on him, he’s been an auto-bet towards profit for me personally, no matter the price!
Now that Aspinall is atop the heavyweight rankings, we’re seeing some great prices. At -115 and -130, respectively, Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov were absolute steals as the pride of British MMA steamrolled them both in the first round.
Moving forward, I don’t believe there’s a heavyweight fighter skilled or fast enough to prevent Aspinall from having his way. Hopefully, Jon Jones accepts his fate because I know oddsmakers will gift us that one.
‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley: Fading the Haters
The latest conqueror of the bantamweight division is 10-1-1 in the UFC. Still, dissimilar to how superstardom can sometimes affect betting lines, the betting lines on ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley have gifted us with excellent odds since the doubters didn’t believe he was a top-five-worthy competitor.
During O’Malley’s early tenure, a sublime striking offense struck fear at the sportsbooks. We regularly saw juiced odds and unplayable money lines, but that ended abruptly in 2022.
Versus Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling, odds of +230 and +200, respectively, were available, as the haters were waiting on his downfall. Luckily for the believers, we took at least four or more units just from those two fights alone.
Suga’s dominant victory over Marlon Vera at UFC 299 was another interesting price point of -250; considering his performance, he should’ve been -800 or higher.
O’Malley is the most skilled striker in the division, and I hope he continues to aggregate bettors who wager with their hearts because there are plenty more units to be made from Arizona’s finest.
