Sports Betting News and Notes: Hamilton Ends F1 Mercedes Run; Card Set for UFC 311; NFL MVP Odds Movement

Lewis Hamilton concluded his 12-year tenure with Mercedes on Monday — a team with which he clinched six F1 championships — as he prepares for his transition to Ferrari for the 2025 season. 

Lewis' period with Mercedes was the most victorious partnership between a driver and team in F1 history. 

McLaren Secures Team Championship 

Much has been said about the challenges Hamilton has faced with the transition. Undoubtedly, the choice revealed in February affected the team's performance this F1 season, as it achieved only four victories and ended up fourth in the constructor standings. 

Nevertheless, as reported by the Associated Press, the nearly 40-year-old's last race driving a Mercedes concluded on an emotional note:

"We dreamed alone but together, we believed,” Hamilton told race engineer Peter Bonnington and team principal Toto Wolff over the radio. “Thank you for all the courage, the determination, and the passion for seeing me and supporting me. What started out as a leap of faith turned into a journey into the history books.”

The F1 season concluded over the weekend, with McLaren claiming the constructors' championship as Lando Norris clinched victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, marking his fourth win of the season. That marked the team's first constructors' title since 1998. 

F1 Futures for 2025 have been released, with Norris as the frontrunner for the drivers’ championship at +180 on DraftKings, trailed by this year's winner Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing at +225, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari at +450, and Hamilton at +600. 

UFC 310 outcomes: Pantoja controls 

Betting favorite Alexandre Pantoja (29-5-0) lived up to expectations in the flyweight title bout at UFC 310 in Las Vegas on Saturday, defeating Kai Asakura with a submission in the second round. Following the battle, in line with tradition, Pantoja announced his upcoming opponent, but he did not mention Brandon Royval, whom he has defeated twice, including a unanimous decision last year, nor Brandon Moreno, whom he has also beaten twice. 

Instead, after the fight, he called out for Demetrious Johnson, the former UFC flyweight champion who retired earlier this year. Johnson is regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters ever, ending his career with a record of 25-4-1 and ruling the UFC flyweight division from 2012 to 2017. 

Pantoja is currently equal to Johnson for the highest number of UFC victories at flyweight, with 13. 

Johnson mentioned on X later that he received a $2 million offer to fight but declined it since he has no interest in returning. However, more unusual events have occurred. 

Next, UFC 311 will take place on January 18 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., featuring two championship fights, including Islam Makhachev defending his title against No. 1 ranked Arman Tsarukyan in an exciting lightweight division matchup. 

According to ESPN's rankings, Makhachev is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, having defeated Dustin Poirier by submission last June. The second bout will feature Merab Dvalishvili defending his bantamweight title against the No. 2 ranked Umar Nurmagomedov. 

Initial odds at BetMGM show Makhachev as the favorite at -278, while Tsarukyan is listed at +220. In the other main event, Nurmagomedov is favored at -250 while Dvalishvili is at +200. 

Allen’s MVP Chances Change Following Impressive Display Against Rams 

Indeed, they fell short against the LA Rams 44-42—the top-scoring match of the NFL season—but Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen made another strong case for his NFL MVP candidacy with a six-TD display. Allen threw three touchdown passes and rushed for three more, making him the first player in NFL history to achieve this feat. In the second half, Allen scored four times and completed 22 of 37 passes for 342 yards without any interceptions. 

Due to the loss, the Bills, who have already secured the AFC East title, could not extend their winning streak to eight games. 

As per PointsBet Canada, the Bills are a favored betting choice due to their location near bettors in Ontario, and Allen’s MVP odds shifted from -200 to -400 following Sunday’s match. 

“Most bets are on Allen. Most handle is Lamar (Jackson). Biggest liability is Saquon (Barkley),” said a trader there.

Allen is presently at -400 on DraftKings. 

“Josh Allen has been excellent all season long, but really separated himself yesterday with six total touchdowns and over 400 yards of offense. Saquon Barkley (+450) is also having an historic season and is still alive in the race, but this has become a quarterback award, and we think it’s Josh Allen’s to lose at this point,” said Johnny Avello, director of sports operations, DraftKings.

Here’s the latest update on NFL betting odds from BetVictor: 

"Josh Allen is now 1/4 (-400) to win regular season MVP, was 2/5 (-250) the previous week and it’s now looking like a two-horse race between him and Barkley, who is currently a 9/2 shot (+450),” said Glen Hyslop, a BetVictor trader. “Saquon was traded at 200/1 (+20000) and the top price Allen was traded at was 8/1 (+800).”