Got $100 to bet on UFC 171? The 'Dog Day Afternoon' parlay pays $33,000

MMA returns to pay-per-view tonight with UFC 171, and if you’re in the wagering mood, a handful of themed parlays could result in some substantial returns.

Watching fights is great; watching fights that you’ve legally bet on is even greater. And if that’s what you like to do, here are a few exotic parlays that can net you a nice payout, just in time for spring break. After all, why should only the fighters who step into the octagon be eligible for a five-figure bonus?

Here in Las Vegas, parlays aren’t the No. 1 choice for the serious sharps in town. But with a little luck, and some skill, a parlay can add to the intensity (or is it insanity?) that is fight night. Obviously, the more fights you bet and get right, the better the payout. However, you also run a bigger risk of losing the parlay. After all, if it were that easy, Vegas wouldn’t be adding billion-dollar resorts every year.

Enough of the jibber-jabber. I now present you three UFC 171 parlays with a wide range of betting and payout options for tonight’s pay-per-view event in Dallas.

The bets (with lines widely available as of Saturday morning):

Dog Day Afternoon

Much like Al Pacino’s ’70s classic, this parlay is all about the underdogs:

• Robbie Lawler +280
• Nikita Krylov +330
• Sean Spencer +330
• Will Campuzano +375

A $100 parlay with all four fights will pay north of $33,000 (or, a $10 bet would earn you $3,300). And I grant you, this will be no easy task. Picking four winners is difficult enough when you’re just taking the favorites, let alone some substantial dogs.

And I am in no way saying these are my picks (check out our UFC 171 staff picks to get those). Instead, I’m saying this is your ticket to a new 2013 Ford Mustang. And a GT version, at that.

But with those long odds, I wouldn’t be planning any immediate road trips.

The Caribbean Collective

Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Mexico are in the house with this parlay, which offers much more modest odds, but a bigger likelihood of cashing:

• Hector Lombard -190
• Ovince St. Preux -400
• Frank Trevino +120
• Alex Garcia -400

A $100 four-fight parlay will pay $425. Yeah, it’s a big step down from the Dog Day Afternoon wager above, but now you’re riding with three big favorites and a slight dog. You won’t be rollin’ in a Mustang, but at least you can afford gas money and an oil change.

The Coconut Creek Co-op

American Top Team, the powerhouse gym from Coconut Creek, Fla., is represented well with this play of team members:

• Hector Lombard -190
• Tyron Woodley +150
• Robbie Lawler +280
• Justin Scoggins -500
• Robert Whiteford +195

A $100 five-fight parlay will pay $5,000. It could be that you’re not trying to be Pacino, but at the same time, perhaps cruising the calm seas of the Caribbean parlay isn’t your cup of tea either. This parlay provides a mixture of favorites and underdogs – and a payday that fits right in the middle of the other two.

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Now, I do want to give you one more parlay. It doesn’t have a theme, but it includes (mostly) options that I made as part of the staff picks referenced above. This is the bet I’ll be making at Mandalay Bay (home to our little MMAjunkie Radio program) before settling in to watch the fights tonight.

Gorgeous George’s UFC 171 Parlay

• Sean Spencer +330
• Ovince St. Preux -400
• Tyron Woodley +150
• Johny Hendricks -350

This four-fight $100 play would result in a payoff of about $1,600.

I personally lean toward fighters who have wrestling backgrounds and/or have athleticism, speed, reach advantages, experience and a few other factors. You also don’t have to point out that Garcia is a monster who can very easily dispatch of the Dallas native Spencer, who’s my underdog pick with this parlay.

But when playing parlays, you have to roll the dice for the payoff to be big, and that includes taking an underdog or two.

For the latest on UFC 171, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

“Gorgeous” George Garcia is host and director of operations for MMAjunkie Radio. You can find him on Twitter at @MMAjunkieGeorge. Or at the local Vegas sportsbook.

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Want to get up to speed on tonight’s event? Check out our look at the top five storylines from UFC 171: