Top Sporting Events And Tips For Bettors January To April 2022

Every week at NDP, we have to take a look at the big sporting events that are coming up and try to select which one we think will appeal to most punters. That usually means if we have a big football weekend, then that takes precedence, unless there is another huge sporting event taking place.

Unfortunately, this does mean that sometimes, we can’t give some events the coverage we’d like, so for 2022 and beyond, we are going to run an article once every 3-4 months or so which will cover briefly some of the big events on the horizon for sports and betting fans, together with some tips for those events.

In this first article, we are going to focus on events taking place from now through to the start of the early Spring in April.

As always, odds shown are provided by bet365 Sport and were correct at the time of writing but may have changed in the time since.

January

• UFC270 – Francis Ngannou v Ciryl Gane (23^rd January)

The world heavyweight title is on the line on Sunday as Francis Ngannou defends the title against a powerful opponent in Ciryl Gane in the main event.

A packed card also sees Brandon Moreno taking on Deiveson Figueiredo and Said Nurmagomedov battling Cody Stamann in what should be another two outstanding fights.

After bearing Stipe Miocic back in March 2021, Ngannou will now defend against the undefeated Gane, who has won all ten of his MMA bouts, as well as 13 kickboxing bouts without tasting a loss.

Wins over Alexander Volkov in June 2021 and Derrick Lewis in August in the same year elevated Gane to the title shot and he is the slight favourite with bet365 (4/6 with Ngannou 5/4) to land the win here.

February

• Premier League Darts (starts 3^rd February)

The PDC has announced that it will come up with a new format for its Premier League Darts competition this year and that it will feature eight players competing in the event, which will be played each week on a Thursday through until May.

Barry Hearn has said that the details and the eight players competing will be announced after the World Masters Final has been completed on the 30^th January, which does not give the players too much time to get ready for the first week’s event in Cardiff on the 3^rd February.

What the new format for the event will be, nobody knows, nor do we know who will feature in the event, although from the promotional poster it looks like Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price have all been earmarked for the tournament.

Keep your eyes on this site as when more details are released at the end of the month, we will bring them to you.

• Winter Olympics (4^th – 20^th February)

China will be the host of the Winter Olympics which starts officially on the 4^th February and there will be a number of events that punters may be interested in having a bet on.

Great Britain doesn’t have too many competitors in with a chance of a medal in these games but Curling star Bruce Mouat and his partner Jenn Dodds are the reigning mixed doubles World Champions, and the mens team he is part of is also in with a chance of a medal.

Katie Ormerod, Charlotte Bankes, Kirsty Muir and Lamin Deen, the veteran Bobsleigh star who now counts former Long Jump Olympic Gold medallist Greg Rutherford amongst his team, are others who could be in with a chance of a medal for Team GB in China.

March

• The Cheltenham Festival (15^th – 18^th March)

Bet365 Sport has already gone big on the Cheltenham Festival by offering its customers a Best Odds Guarantee and Non-Runner No Bet offers on ante-post bets made on the five top races of the festival.

At the moment Cheltenham Festival Betting is being focused on the five big races: the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Stayers’ Hurdle, Ryanair Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup.

You can make a bet on these races right now, though we expect a number of punters may prefer to wait until closer to the race, or raceday itself, to see exactly which horses will run. Although with the Non-Runner No Bet offer, if your horse doesn’t run in the race you back it in, you will get your stake returned to you.

This is always one of the biggest racing festivals of the year around the world and with crowds expected to be back in attendance, it should be a fantastic four days of racing and one that is not to be missed.

• NCAAB March Madness – (15^th March – 4^th April)

The College Basketball end of season showdown, often known simply as March Madness, features a series of one-off knockout games between the best college teams from across the United States. Last year, Baylor defeated the top seeds Gonzaga to land the national title and they will be back to try and defend that title this year.

Gonzaga will be seeking revenge for that loss last year and there are a host of other teams from across the United States, including a strong UCLA team, that could well feature strongly in the tournament.

This event may not be top of British punters betting lists, but it is such a fantastic tournament that it is well worth a closer look if you like anything to do with basketball.

April

• The Grand National Meeting (7^th – 9^th April)

Perhaps the biggest betting day of the year in the UK and the day when many will have their one and only bet of the year on the famous steeplechase. The Grand National takes place on Saturday 9^th April but that is the final day of three days of racing at Liverpool’s famous Aintree circuit.

With tickets all but sold out for the Grand National Day, you can still enjoy a bet on the race with bet365 through its Ante Post betting options but the site will likely ramp up its coverage on this race following the Cheltenham Festival in mid March.

• The Masters (7^th – 10^th April)

He first golf major of the year takes place in mid-April as the top golfers in the world head to the manicured fairways of Augusta National to compete for the Green Jacket and a place in the long history of The Masters tournament.

Last year, Hideki Matsuyama became the first Japanese golfer to win a Green Jacket with a superb win at Augusta and he has started this season in great form once again by landing two wins on tour already.

But with Tiger Woods potentially ready to return to competition some time soon, plus a host of top golfers from Europe, the United States and all over the globe, this year’s first golf major should be a cracking start to the Major season, with a Major tournament each month from April through to July.

Ante post betting on the tournament is available with bet365 right now with Spanish World Number 1 Jon Rahm the current 8/1 favourite in the outright winner market.

Join us again in April, when we will look ahead to some of the big sporting events coming up between April and July.