UFC Seattle gambling preview: Best bets and gimmick parlay

UFC Seattle takes place this Saturday in Emerald City, headlined by a bantamweight bout between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong.

On top of that, there are 11 other fights taking place on Saturday, so let’s dive in on all the best bets for this week.

All odds are courtesy of our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Single Plays

Henry Cejudo (+230)

I’m a bit surprised that Cejudo is this big of an underdog. Sure, he’s 38 years old, and hasn’t won a fight since returning from retirement, but there are extenuating circumstances. It’s not like Cejudo lost to bums since coming back. He lost a very close fight with Aljamain Sterling and then lost a competitive fight with Merab Dvalishvili. I don’t know if you know this but everyone loses to Merab.

Song is a good fighter, who is still ascending, but he’s traditionally struggled with grappling and Cejudo is a former Olympic champion wrestler who also mixes the martial arts quite well. Don’t get me wrong, Song should be a favorite, but I don’t think it should be this big of a line.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Prop Bets

Anthony Hernandez by Points (+115)

“Fluffy” runs things back with Brendan Allen in the co-main event this weekend from a LFA title fight back in 2018. In their first encounter, Hernandez won a decision, and I think the same thing is about to happen. Hernandez is a much better wrestler and should have plenty of success at getting the fight to the floor. Allen is a good grappler in his own right, but I don’t think he’ll threaten Fluffy too much. If this were five rounds, Hernandez might even find a stoppage, but with just three, a decision is most likely.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

One more into the breach, dear friends.

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a gimmick parlay. Unfortunately, this year, those have not been particularly fruitful. A smart man might take that as a sign to try something else, but in the words of Forrest Gump, “I am not a smart man.”

There are two Jeans on this card, both of whom I considered to be blue-chip prospects coming off of Contender Series in 2023. Thus, the Blue Jean Parlay (alternatively the Mean Jean parlay if you’re a pro wrestling fan) was born.

Jean Matsumoto (-162)

Matsumoto steps in on short notice to face Rob Font, who was supposed to match up with Dominick Cruz before his sudden retirement. It’s a big step up for Matsumoto, and a big risk, but I still like his chances. Font has been holding the gates of the top 10 at bantamweight for a while now but I think Matusmoto’s creativity and athleticism get him over the hump on Saturday.

Jean Silva (-550)

Silva takes on Melsik Baghdasaryan in a featherweight contest, and as the line suggests, he’s probably going to win. “Lord” had a lights-out 2024 campaign, and while Baghdasaryan is a good fighter in his own right, he’s definitely a step back in competition from Drew Dober. Silva has more tools and should get it done.

Parlay these two bets together for -110 odds.

Wrap Up

Welp. Last weekend was terrible. It’s a shame this Seattle card fell apart so badly, because it was going to be great. Now, the UFC has done the best they can given the circumstances and hopefully, we can get back on the winning track and make things a little more fun.

Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

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