The Insane Prop Bets of UFC 229

What a night UFC 229 turned into, for better or for worse. What was billed as the biggest card in Ultimate Fighting Championship history lived up to the hype with some amazing fights inside the cage and some ugly antics outside of it. A number of bouts ended in ways few saw coming, which means bettors managed to hit some juicy odds. Here are five of the most profitable prop bets to pop at UFC 229 on Saturday in Las Vegas:

Khabib Nurmagomedov Wins in Round 4 (+1050)

The UFC 229 main event is going to be remembered for the after-fight skirmish between the Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor camps, but the actual fight itself was quite compelling. Ultimately, Nurmagomedov managed to effectively use his wrestling to stifle McGregor’s standup, and “The Eagle” latched a neck crank in the fourth round to retain the UFC lightweight championship. In what was the latest stoppage of the Russian’s UFC career, the prop on Nurmagomedov winning in the fourth round hit at +1050.

Dominick Reyes Wins by Decision (+725)

One of the stranger props to score at UFC 229 was Reyes winning a decision over Ovince St. Preux. It looked as though Reyes was on his way to a unanimous decision before knocking down “OSP” just before the final bell. Instead of following up with strikes and hoping the referee jumped in, Reyes walked away; a second later, the final horn sounded. Since the referee did not call a knockout, Reyes and St. Preux ended up going to the scorecards, resulting in the prop on Reyes winning by decision hitting at +725. It was a rough turn of events for those who had Reyes winning by knockout.

Derrick Lewis Wins in Round 3 (+1175)

You would think bettors would recognize that Lewis is one of the best third-round fighters in the sport, but once again, the prop bet on him winning in Round 3 was available at huge odds. For the fifth time in his pro career, Lewis managed to come back and win a fight via strikes in the third round. Even when Lewis is down big and seemingly on his way to a loss, he can pull off a highlight-reel knockout. It makes betting against him difficult. In this case, bettors who put their faith in “The Black Beast” to get the job done in the third round were rewarded with a successful prop bet scoring at +1175 odds.

Scott Holtzman Wins in Round 3 (+2050)

One of the most shocking results at UFC 229 came courtesy of the elbows of Holtzman, who used his pointed weapons to finish Alan Patrick Silva Alves on the ground in a major upset. Holtzman had not finished a fight since a 2014 submission over Anthony Christodoulou, so this was a surprise to say the least. Like the fight with Christodoulou, Holtzman finished Patrick in the third round, and the prop on that happening scored at a massive +2050 clip.

Tony Martin Wins in Round 3 (+1650)

He needed a finish, and Martin got the job done with a third-round knockout of Ryan LaFlare. Martin has now finished two fights in the UFC in the third stanza and four fights in his career in the third frame. This time around, the prop on Martin winning in the third round scored at a robust +1650.

Adam Martin is a mixed martial arts journalist who has been covering the sport since 2011. He is currently the lead odds analyst for Sherdog.com as well as the lead staff writer for MMAOddsbreaker.com. Adam is also the co-host of “The Parting Shot Podcast” on iTunes. His favorite fight of all time is Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua and he wishes Pride never died. Adam is based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and he is a graduate of the University of Toronto and Centennial College. Get in touch with him on Twitter @MMAdamMartin.