Weâre one month away from 2024. The start of the new year has us thinking about betting futures â particularly on who will be UFC champions this time next year. Letâs predict the 2024 UFC champions now and profit later!
- What: UFC Championship Futures
- When: By End Of 2024
Menâs Light Heavyweight 2024 Champion Prediction
Alex Pereira continues to shock the MMA world, most recently by becoming the new light heavyweight champion. He stopped Jiri ProchĂĄzka in the second round, making him the ninth UFC fighter to hold gold in separate weight classes â all this despite only fighting in the UFC seven times (and MMA 11 times). As it stands, Pereira is favored to hold the belt through the end of 2024, as seen below:
Fighter | |||
---|---|---|---|
Alex Pereira | +200 | +200 | +200 |
Jamahal Hill | +300 | +300 | +300 |
Magomed Ankalaev | +450 | +450 | +450 |
Jiri Prochazka | +800 | +800 | +800 |
Israel Adesanya | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
Pereira called out long-time rival Israel Adesanya after his title win, but Dana White already said Hill is next in line for a title shot. In that potential 2024 showdown, weâd favor Pereira. Hill is a versatile boxer â probably more so than ProchĂĄzka â but heâs still not as dangerous as Pereira. One well-timed elbow or left hook from Pereira and itâs night night for Hill in our book.
However, Pereira could very well fight twice in 2024. After Hill, barring Adesanya moving up, the fight to make would be Pereira vs. the one-loss Ankalaev. Heâs up to No. 3 in the division rankings after a draw and no contest. The draw ironically came for the vacant title (against Jan Blachowicz), which out the wheels in motion for Pereira to win instead. Still, Ankalaev hasnât tasted defeat since 2018 and has blitzed through most of his foes besides the last two results.
If Ankalaev vs. Pereira goes down in late 2024, our money says Ankalaev wins. His wrestling is on another level, and defending the takedown remains a problem for Pereira. Yes, he was able to outlast Blachowicz, but that was only for three rounds. In a five-round title fight, our feeling is that Ankalaev overwhelms Pereira. Take Ankalaevâs odds here, which are too good to pass up.
Menâs Heavyweight 2024 Champion Prediction
The menâs heavyweight division is in disarray due to injuries, age, and the need to make a âdream fight.â Letâs have a look-see at the 2024 UFC heavyweight championship odds. These are available at the best UFC betting sites right now:
Fighter | |||
---|---|---|---|
Tom Aspinall | +175 | +175 | +175 |
Jailton Almedia | +200 | +200 | +200 |
Jon Jones | +450 | +450 | +450 |
Sergei Pavlovich | +600 | +600 | +600 |
Ciryl Gane | +700 | +700 | +700 |
Stipe Miocic | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
So there are two current champions. Jones is the ârealâ champion. Of course, the UFC legend whoâs never tasted defeat easily beat Gane in his heavyweight debut. He was scheduled to face Miocic last month at Madison Square Garden, but a pec injury forced Jones to back out. That night, Aspinall became the interim champion with a thunderous knockout of Pavlovich.
Obviously, the heavyweight belts need to be unified at a certain point. But White already said Jones-Miocic is still happening in 2024 despite the injury and despite Miocic noticeably limping when shown at MSG recently (heâs 41 years old now). The box-office potential of pitting two of the greatest UFC fighters is simply too good for White to pass up.
Weâd fancy Jones to win that fight versus Miocic but hereâs the thing Jones vs. Aspinall isnât even a sure thing. Jones has teased retirement and if weâre being honest, Aspinall would probably rock him. Jones has yet to truly feel heavyweight power and Aspinall has an abundance of it. It would not be a bad legacy move for Jones to âretire on top.â All things considered, Aspinall has the best chance to end 2024 as the heavyweight titleholder no matter what Jones decides.
Menâs Bantamweight 2024 Champion Prediction
Sean OâMalley was christened as UFCâs next big thing when he defeated Aljo Sterling for the bantamweight champion over the summer. Betting odds favor Suga Sean to hold the gold through 2024. Check out the current bantamweight 2024 odds:
Fighter | |||
---|---|---|---|
Sean O'Malley | +150 | +150 | +150 |
Merab Dvalishvili | +250 | +250 | +250 |
Umar Nurmagomedov | +275 | +275 | +275 |
Aljo Sterling | +350 | +350 | +350 |
Cory Sandhagen | +500 | +500 | +500 |
Henry Cejudo | +600 | +600 | +600 |
White has penciled in OâMalleyâs first title defense against Chito Vera, who handed OâMalley his one and only career loss, albeit with a bum ankle injured mid-fight. In that rematch, assuming OâMalley isnât hobbled like he was in the first go, the champion should retain. Vera is a good, but not great fighter.
We canât say the same about two other contenders though â Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili. Both these two are the most impressive fighters in the division, including OâMalley, who have ransacked every opponent theyâve faced as of late. Dvalishvili is up to No. 2 in the rankings (behind Sterling only) so heâs most likely to fight for the title. Nurmagomedov isnât even top-10, mostly because fighters seem to be dodging him.
In a potential OâMalley vs. Dvalishvili showdown, weâre betting on a new champion to be crowned. We just sense Dvalishviliâs wrestling would be too much for a striker in OâMalley so thatâs where our money is going.
How To Bet On UFC Futures?
UFC futures betting is a fun way to mix up the action, especially with only one pay-per-view left in 2023. To get all the bet types for UFC futures, hit one of the bookies featured below. Per our latest sportsbook reviews, the sites listed lead the way for UFC betting â both in the diversity of bets, as well as the price of them. See for yourself by clicking one of the âplay nowâ buttons below.
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