UFC 187 took place earlier tonight (Saturday, May 30, 2015) at the Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. It was a very solid card overall, with a number of highlight-reel finishes on the main card and solid performances on the prelims. Overall from a betting perspective, eight betting favorites were victorious while four underdogs won based on the closing odds at Several Bookmakers. Here’s a quick recap for each fight. UFC Fight Night 67 Betting Favorites That Won In a featured welterweight bout, Carlos Condit returned from over a year injury layoff to finish Thiago Alves in two rounds. The first round was close but Condit hammered Alves with a huge shot in the second to bust him open and he spent the rest of the frame trying to finish the veteran. While Condit couldn’t stop the bout, the cageside physician didn’t allow Alves to continue and the bout was called between rounds. Condit closed at -335 (bet $335 to win $100) while Alves lost at +305 (bet $100 to win $305). In a featherweight bout, Nik Lentz and Charles Oliveira put on an instant classic in a rematch from four years ago that ended in a no contest. Oliveira hurt Lentz in the first round but couldn’t finish as Lentz utilized his wrestling to take the second. In the third, however, Oliveira jumped into a guillotine choke and didn’t give it up until Lentz was forced to tap out. Oliveira closed at -255 while Lentz lost at +235. In a welterweight bout, Alex Oliveira made quick work of veteran KJ Noons. Oliveira put a lot of pressure on Noons, eventually putting the former EliteXC champ in a compromising position against the fence and jumping at an opening to sink in a rear naked choke to force a first round tapout. Oliveira closed at -175 while Noons closed at +155. In a featherweight bout, Rony Jason took Damon Jackson’s best shot and then fired back with one of his own to score a late first round submission victory. Jason was put on his back repeatedly and hit with some decent ground strikes early but he locked in an armbar before transitioning to a triangle choke to force a tapout from Jackson. Jason won at -145 while Jackson lost at +135. In a welterweight bout, Denmark’s Nicolas Dalby squeaked out a split decision over a very game Elizeu Zaleski in a battle of promotional newcomers. Dalby won the first round with a nice mix of aggressive striking and takedowns but Zaleski turned up the aggression in rounds two and three, making the fight very close and landing several big haymaker blows as well as combinations. In the end, two of the judges sided with Dalby and it was the close second round which decided the contest. Dalby was -260 while Zaleski was +240. In featherweight action, Mirsad Bektik absolutely destroyed Lucas Martins in his most impressive performance to date. The talented Bosnian prospect blistered Martins both standing and on the ground, landing heavy punches and holding top position in the first frame before quickly dropping Martins and finishing him at the beginning of the second. Bektik was the biggest favorite of the night, closing at -410 while Martins was a +365 dog. In a women’s strawweight bout, Juliana Lima dominated promotional newcomer Ericka Almeida en route to winning a unanimous decision. Lima was able to overwhelm Almeida with her superior wrestling and scrambling ability, repeatedly gaining top position on the ground and wearing the youngster down over the course of three rounds. Lima closed as a -165 favorite while Almeida was a +155 underdog. In the opening bout of the evening, Tom Breese made an impressive UFC debut by taking Luis Dutra’s best shots before dropping the Brazilian late in the first round and finishing him off via ground and pound. Breese closed at -150 while Dutro finished at +140. UFC Fight Night 67 Betting Underdogs That Won In a light heavyweight contest, Francimar Barroso utilized an ugly gameplan of repeated clinches and pressure to stifle Ryan Jimmo en route to winning a decision. On top of being the worst fight on the card by a landslide, the fight was also marred by a nasty low blow from Barroso. In the end, the win was all that mattered, however and Barroso came through as a +245 underdog while Jimmo was defeated at -265. In a lightweight fight, Francisco Trinaldo scored an upset split decision victory over Norman Parke (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). Trinaldo outstruck Parke over the first two rounds but was outgrappled as well. Parke won the third round convincingly and most expected the decision to go his way, but the judges saw things differently. Trinaldo was +225 while Parke was -245. In a welterweight bout, Darren Till made a spectacular UFC debut by blistering Wendell Oliveira with some vicious second round elbows. Oliveira controlled the first frame but Till reversed a takedown attempt and started landing heavy blows early in the second round to put Oliveira out cold. Till closed at +115 while Oliveira lost at -125. In a flyweight bout, Jussier Formiga scored the first underdog victory of the night with a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over Wilson Reis. Formiga got the better of Reis on the feet in open space while Reis battled back with superior top position and some decent clinch work, but it wasn’t enough. Formiga was +100 while Reis was -110.
