“5 Crazy Prop Bets That Cashed Big is a column on MMAOddsbreaker.com after every major MMA event that highlights the biggest underdog prop bets to cash out from that card. Here’s five crazy prop bets that cashed big based on the closing odds at Several Bookmakers. 1) Nate Diaz wins by decision +865 The feel good moment of the night for many hardcore mixed martial arts fans was seeing Nathan Diaz get back into the win column in a big way by defeating #5 ranked lightweight Michael Johnson by unanimous decision. The Stockton, California native had not won a fight since defeating Gray Maynard in November of 2013. Diaz has been inactive as of late and has been quite vocal about his concerns regarding his current contract with the UFC and the fights they were offering him. He managed to put all that in his rearview on Saturday night, as he picked up a decision win by outstriking Johnson in the second and third rounds. The win moves Diaz into a unique position, as he is in high demand by fight fans but does not want to accept any fights that he believes do not make sense for him. Congrats if you cashed the biggest prop of the night! 2) Nate Marquardt wins by TKO +700 Another fighter that picked up a big win at a crucial time was Nate Marquardt, as he floored C.B. Dolloway in the second round with a big counter right hand. The 51-fight veteran came into the matchup as the loser of five of his last six fights, including three by knockout. Many fans have voiced their concerns over the last year about Marquardt’s future, as they feel he should hang up his gloves and think about his long-term health. Marquardt will get a reprieve from the retirement talk for a while with this big win over Dolloway, who had only lost to top competition in recent years. 3) Rafael dos Anjos wins by TKO +555 The reigning UFC Lightweight Champion silenced his doubters on Saturday night by absolutely destroying number one contender Donald Cerrone in a matter of seconds. The Brazilian badly hurt Cerrone with a flush knee to the liver, which he followed up with vicious punching combinations. The end came when Cerrone hit the canvas and was not able to adequately defend himself from dos Anjos’ ruthless onslaught. The win is a huge statement by dos Anjos, who has not gotten the credit he deserves since winning the lightweight title from Anthony Pettis in March. 4) Vicente Luque wins by submission +530 The preliminary card featured a rematch between Luque and Hayder Hassan, who faced one another on season 21 of The Ultimate Fighter. Hassan won the first matchup by close decision in one of the season’s best fights. Luque exacted his revenge on Saturday night in quick fashion by choking Hassan unconscious with an anaconda choke only two minutes into the first round. The Blackzilians representative landed a clean right hand that hurt Hassan and forced him to shoot a desperation takedown attempt, which Luque countered with the anaconda choke that closed the show. The win improves Luque’s UFC record to 1-1. 5) Tamdan McCrory wins by submission +500 Another great story from UFC on Fox 17 was Tamdan McCrory’s return to the Octagon after a six year hiatus. Remarkably, he stopped competing in mixed martial arts after racking up a 3-3 record in six fights in the UFC from 2007 to 2009. McCrory shined in his return, as he outgrappled Samman for much of the contest en route to finding a triangle choke in the third round. Samman actually initiated most of the grappling exchanges by looking to take McCrory to the canvas and work him over from top position. That proved to be a mistake, as McCrory had Samman constantly fighting off sweeps and submission attempts. The end of the fight came late in the third round when McCrory locked up a triangle choke that forced Samman to submit. The “Barncat” gets a big win in his UFC return and will look to get back in the Octagon soon.
