Insane fan bets $79K on UFC 281’s opening PPV bout

A massive bet has already come in for UFC 281 later tonight (Sat., Nov. 12, 2022) live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, but it doesn’t include any of the top fighters on the stacked “Big Apple” card. While UFC 281 will feature the likes of Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira, Carla Esparza, Zhang Weili, Dustin Poirier, and Michael Chandler, a mixed martial arts (MMA) fan has decided to put all of his eggs in Claudio Puelles’ basket. Puelles will be matched up against fan-favorite fighter Dan Hooker to spark the ESPN+ PPV main card.

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TWO TITLES UP FOR GRABS! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sat., Nov. 11, 2023, with a re-worked pay-per-view (PPV) main card. In the ESPN+-streamed main event, former 205-pound roost-ruler, Jiri Prochazka, will lock horns with ex-Middleweight kingpin, Alex Pereira, for the promotion’s vacant Light Heavyweight title. In UFC 295’s co-main event, top-ranked Heavyweight contenders, Sergei Pavlovich (No. 2) and Tom Aspinall (No. 4), will collide for the interim strap after division champion, Jon Jones, was injured with a torn pectoral muscle and forced to withdraw (video).

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According to a recent Twitter post by Stake.com, a fan has bet $79,000 on Puelles to defeat Hooker at UFC 281 later tonight. If Puelles is victorious, the payout would be close to $200,000. Check it out below:

We’ve seen some wild UFC bets in the past, but this one is a little out there. While Hooker has struggled over the past few years to create success inside of the Octagon he’s still a very dangerous fighter returning to the lightweight division. Puelles, on the other hand, is a very good fighter in his own right. However, the Peruvian contender isn’t some sort of world beater that it makes sense to throw $79,000 on the table like it was rent money.

Still, Puelles is riding a five-fight streak at 155 pounds while finishing three of those victories by way of kneebar. Hooker has been submitted three times in his 33-fight career so maybe this fan is banking on another “Hangman” tap out.

What say you, fight fans? Will this $79K bet be all for nothing or will this fan have a weekend to remember?

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 281 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN+/ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 281: “Adesanya vs. Pereira” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 281 fight card and PPV line up click here.