There was a dramatic odds shift in the Sean Brady vs. Joaquin Buckley fight at UFC 328 on Saturday. Despite some bookmakers suspending markets, the fight went ahead as planned.
Brady had been fancied for the win at odds of around -175. On Saturday afternoon, the bookies flipped their prices to make Buckley the favorite, moving from +150 to around -220.
Some bookmakers suspended betting on certain markets and limited moneyline stakes.
UFC Contacted Brady Before Fight
Amid suspicious betting activity, the UFC contacted Brady before the fight to confirm everything was in order. In a press conference after the fight, he was asked about the “weird betting lines that were happening before the fight.”
“Somebody at the UFC reached out to me a couple of hours before my fight and made sure I was fine,” Brady revealed.
He confirmed there was no problem and said he was unaware that he had gone from favorite to underdog. The UFC representative did not inform him of the odds shift.
Rumors circulated on social media and betting forums that Brady was getting his knee drained backstage. Whether it was solely those rumors that fueled the odds shifts is unclear.
At prediction market platform Polymarket, Brady went from a 61% chance of winning to starting the fight as a 36.5% chance. Over $2 million was traded on the fight.
Previous Incidents Put UFC on Alert
The UFC is wary of irregular betting patterns after the Isaac Dulgarian incident in November last year. Dulgarian also went from favorite to underdog in his fight against Yadier del Valle, who won by first-round submission.
In the wake of the fight, the UFC contacted the FBI and released Dulgarian. The fighter has not publicly spoken about the incident, and the investigation remains ongoing. In January, UFC CEO Dana White canceled a lightweight bout between Alexander Hernandez and Michael Johnson in Las Vegas after betting integrity monitors detected suspicious wagering activity.
Brady Dominates to Defy Odds
In Brady’s case, after confirming the fighter was uninjured, the fight went ahead as planned. Brady dominated the fight and won by decision. He outlanded Buckley 245-21 in total strikes and 77-4 in “significant” strikes.
“This fight camp, this fight, I was locked the f*** in for 15 minutes, and that’s what happens. I didn’t get the finish, but nobody’s ever dominated Buckley that way,” Brady said after the fight.
