It was a massive weekend in Las Vegas this past weekend, as not only did the 2022 NFL Draft take place, but fans were packing the sportsbooks to watch the UFC Fight Night as well. Because of this, countless wagers were made. With this, though, it should be no surprise that Vegas took a betting hit during UFC and NFL Draft weekend, especially with Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera recording his win over Rob Font.
Per the best rated sportsbooks, Vera was the slight underdog leading up to their fight. However, according to a local report, the majority of bettors didn’t care about this, as they put a big amount of money on Vera after checking out the different UFC odds out there. It was a bit of a surprise that Vera was considered the underdog, especially after Font didn’t make weight.
This basically told the majority of UFC fans that Font wasn’t taking this fight overly seriously. He, in his head, had thought that he was going to be able to cruise to a win over Vera. Meanwhile for the Ecuadorian fighter, he had been training non stop and had no issues making weight. Vera wanted to make a statement in his victory over Font and he sure did that. Because of this, so many people cashed in on him. This was bad news for Font and Vegas as a whole.
“I feel today, something my coach always says: My mind is catching up to my body,” Vera said after his win on ESPN. “It’s been a long road, long journey. But hard work, hard work (paid off). “4, 3 and 2 (on the opponents Vera would like to face next in terms of the UFC rankings in his division). Any of those three. I’ll be back in the gym on Wednesday. This does not stop.”
As for the NFL Draft, Travon Walker being taken No. 1 overall was easy money for the folks who checked out the NFL odds and placed a bet on Thursday night. Because of his showing in interviews and workouts, Walker shot up the draft boards and had emerged as the favorite to be selected by the Jaguars. Fans paid close attention to this and also bet big on him.
As soon as his name was called, all of the sportsbooks in Vegas must have collectively shaken their heads, as they knew it meant they were going to be taking a hit in this case. At the University of Georgia, Walker was a sensational pass-rusher and now he’s being looked at as being the future of the Jaguar’s defense. That’s a lot of pressure on him, but he’s ready to deliver for this team.
“It’s very exciting because I’ve always moved around ever since I was in high school and played middle linebacker in high school,” Walker said after being taken No. 1 overall by Jacksonville. “I’ve never just played one position so when people say I don’t have a lot of production, but once I do just get to train for one position then that will come on its own.”
Guys like Aidan Hutchinson were also in the mix to be selected at the top of the draft, but as things got closer and closer, people stopped putting money on him to head to Jacksonville. Now, Walker will be the headliner for this defense and he’ll be ready to shock plenty of people. Only time will tell if he’ll live up to the hype or not, but fans have plenty of hope.
Despite the 2022 draft just wrapping up last Saturday, the NFL Draft odds are already out for 2023 and people are wasting little time getting early bets in. Think about it, with the draft being so far away, fans are getting in their investments early because the odds are lower than when things will be close. Because of this, you’d get a much higher payout. With this, though, there’s a higher risk of winning.
As things stand, Bryce Young of Alabama holds the top odds to be taken No. 1 overall. This isn’t surprising, as he won the Heisman last year and powered the Crimson Tide to the National Championship Game. Young is one of the best quarterbacks in the game and he’s hoping he can help Nick Saban win the natty next year. Young isn’t the only one with strong odds.
Others to keep an eye on including C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. However, that doesn’t mean that another player won’t emerge and be a contender next season. At this time last year, no one had any clue that Walker would be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Even at the end of the year, he was expected to be taken No. 1. However, he really impressed during the season and in his interviews. We’ll see if someone else rises like him too for ’23.
