Free Betting Pick — UFC Lightweight Champion At End Of 2022
When it comes to this futures bet, the best online sportsbooks have odds available for several fighters in the UFC lightweight division. However, we've featured only the betting favorites to become UFC lightweight champion by the end of 2022 below. Here's how the betting odds currently stand:
| Fighter |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Oliveira | +200 | +200 |
| Islam Makachev | +200 | +200 |
| Beneil Dariush | +400 | +400 |
| Justin Gaethje | +600 | +600 |
| Dustin Poirier | +900 | +900 |
The current division champion is Charles Oliveira, who just made fan-favorite Dustin Poirier tap out. With the victory, Oliveira solidified his legacy as the UFC's all-time submission artist, making Poirier his 15th victim — most in promotion history. That's why it's no surprise that the top UFC betting sites have pegged him as the favorite to hold onto the championship the entire year.
However, we do not agree. In the fight against Poirier, he was almost stopped in the first round. Like many of Oliveira's previous opponents have done, Poirier landed clean strikes to the champ's face with relative ease. Credit Oliveira for roaring back, but that weakness WILL be exploited again. And the next time it happens, there's reason to believe Oliveira will be dropped for good.
And next up is Justin Gaethje, who just happens to have the heaviest hands in this entire division. Gaethje has stopped four of his last six opponents in this division. His stand-up striking ability should give Oliveira plenty of problems. Our money says Gaethje becomes the next champion and then retains the belt the rest of this year. Bank on it!
Free Betting Pick — UFC Women's Featherweight Champion At End Of 2022
Amanda Nunes is fresh-off one of the most shocking losses in UFC history — a second-round submission to Julianna Pena — yet she's quite a staggering favorite to remain the UFC featherweight champion by the end of 2022. She's way, way overvalued by the bookmakers if we're being completely blunt.
Look, there's no disputing Nunes past. She's the female G.O.A.T. in UFC history. Period. But in mixed martial arts, you're only as good as your last performance. And last time out was a bad one for Nunes. Real bad. Nunes appeared to gas out in the second round, then proceeded to forget how to move her head as she caught punch after punch from Pena in the same round.
This bet really comes down to this: was Nunes performance against Pena a fluke or a sign of diminishing skills? Our money says it's the latter. Look, she'll be 34 years old in a few months and the damage from 26 career fights sure looks like they've caught up with her.
And remember when Ronda Rousey first lost to Holly Holm — another UFC fight that had the same shock factor when it first happened? That shock quickly wore off when Rousey lost the follow-up fight to Nunes in convincing fashion, a clear sign she had "lost a step" a long time ago. We have a sneaking suspicion the same will happen to Nunes sometime this year.
And right now, the big-money fight UFC can make is Nunes with Kayla Harrison, a former judo gold medalist. Harrison isn't officially signed to UFC, but talks are ongoing cause this matchup has dollar signs all over it. Bettors could be in the same boat if they bet on Harrison to win that potential matchup, which is EXACTLY what we're doing here. It's risky since the ink isn't official, but hey, that's why we bet on sports in the first place!
Free Betting Pick — UFC Middleweight Champion At End Of 2022
So far, we've predicted multiple title changes for 2022, but that's not what we're doing with this bet. The current title-holder, Israel Adesanya, is our bet to remain the middleweight champion when 2022 ends.
Why? Well, "The Last Stylebender" has never lost a middleweight fight in his professional career. Ever. He's convincingly beat any fighter put in front of him in this weight class — Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, and more. At this point, Adesanya has a strong argument for being the best middleweight in UFC history.
Therefore, we don't envision Adesanya dropping the title anytime soon, including UFC 271 against Whittaker (the rematch) in February. Bet on the current champion with confidence in 2022!
How To Bet On UFC Futures?
For a complete list of UFC futures bets, hit one of the sportsbooks listed underneath. You'll find the same bet available for every single weight division in the UFC, male or female. And while you're at these sites, look into the big-money sign-up bonuses available. Bonuses range from hundreds to thousands of dollars in free play, which is not something you want to miss out on!
