One of the three MMA cards on Friday night was on NBC Sports Network, as WSOF 20 put on a five-fight main card headlined by a light heavyweight tournament semi-final. There were lines on all five televised bouts, and favorites were successful on the night going 4-1, based on Several Bookmakers closing odds. Here’s how the winners broke down: Favorites that Won In the hastily put together main event, Dave Branch looked every bit the part of a -1025 favorite (bet $1025 to win $100). The WSOF middleweight champion dominated the under-prepared Jesse McElligott in the first round. In the second, he hurt him with a head kick and finished the bout by putting his opponent to sleep with a Von Flue choke. It was the expected result in a clear mismatch of a fight, but the organization was left with little choice following Ronny Markes’ late withdrawal. Nick Newell returned to the cage for the first time since suffering his first career loss, and while he picked up the win, it wasn’t the most inspiring performance for his future prospects. Newell controlled much of the first two rounds whether he and Joe Condon were striking or grappling, but tired in the final round and Condon took it on all three scorecards. Newell still picked up the win as a -500 favorite, but the line will likely be significantly tighter in his next outing. Two-time NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion Steve Mocco looked as good as any fight in his young MMA career as he TKO’d Juliano Coutinho in the first round. Mocco used good movement and much improved striking early in the bout, allowing him to set up an easy takedown. From there Mocco landed good ground-and-pound from top position that forced referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and save Coutinho. Mocco closed at -380. In the opening bout of the card, Ozzy Dugulubgov picked up a first round win over late replacement Lucas Montoya, but it wasn’t how the Dagestani drew it up. A diving punch into guard ended up breaking Montoya’s arm, and while he gamely tried to fight on, the injury was simply too much to overcome. Dugulubgov was declared the winner by TKO, and bettors cashed a -620 if they played it. Underdogs that Won The lone upset of the night occurred as Emmanuel Walo won a unanimous decision over Ben Fodor (aka “Phoenix Jones”). While the crimefighter may have success on the streets, he couldn’t handle the wrestling of Walo who controlled the majority of the 15 minutes from top position. Fodor showed good cardio and took the third round by keeping a high pace, but it was too little, too late, and those who backed Walo at +125 (bet $100 to win $125) were rewarded with an easy win.
