UFC Fight Night 84 took place earlier today (Saturday, February 27, 2016) at the O2 Arena in London, England, and was headlined by a middleweight bout between Anderson Silva and Michael Bisping. Overall from a betting perspective, nine favorites won while three underdogs came through and there was one pick’em bout according to the closing odds at Several Bookmakers. Here’s a quick recap for each fight. Favorites That Won In co-main event of the evening, middleweight Gegard Mousasi bounced back with a one-sided victory over Thales Leites. Mousasi shut down Leites’ strikes with a beautiful jab and showcased elite takedown defense to avoid the Brazilian’s ground game to win an easy decision. Mousasi held serve as a heavy +290 (Bet $290 to win $100) favorite while Leites lost his second straight a +260 (bet $100 to win $260) underdog. In a welterweight fight, Tom Breese got more of a test than many expected against Keita Nakamura. Nakamura aggressively pursued takedowns, showcasing a slight edge in overall grappling, but Breese controlled all the stand-up exchanges. It was a lot closer than the final judges’ scorecards indicated, but Breese walked away with a unanimous decision when it was all said and done. Breese closed as a massive -1025 betting favorite while Nakamura was +825. In the lightweight division, Makwan Amirkhani utilized an excellent wrestling-centric approach to secure top position over Mike Wilkinson for the first two rounds before running out of steam late, although he was able to hold on to win a decision. Amirkhani was a -175 favorite while Wilkinson was a +165 underdog. In a bantamweight scrap, Davey Grant pushed a relentless pace, outworking a game Marlon Vera over the course of three rounds to win a unanimous decision and earn his first UFC victory. Grant was victorious as a -175 betting favorite while Vera was defeated at +165. In a middleweight contest, Scott Askham worked over Chris Dempsey in the opening round, eventually finishing the bout with a heavy punch and head kick combination to send Dempsey crashing to the canvas. Askham was -345 while Dempsey was a +315 dog. In a featherweight bout, Arnold Allen outworked Yautzin Meza, scoring the better strikes standing and nearly finishing the bout in the final seconds, although it was more than enough to win a decision. Allen was a heavy -325 favorite while Meza was +295. In a middleweight fight, Krzysztof Jotko weathered the early pressure from Brad Scott to outpace the UK fighter over the final two rounds. Jotko took control in the second, mixing a steady steam of strikes with occasional takedowns to win a decision. Jotko came through as a -150 betting favorite while Scott couldn’t overcome his start at +140. In a lightweight bout, Rustam Khabilov went back to the well with his big wrestling, takedowns and throws to take the final two rounds against a game Norman Parke. Parke started strong but couldn’t keep Khabilov’s grappling at bay for long enough as Khabilov walked away with a decision. Khabilov held serve as a -190 favorite while Parke was a +170 dog. In a the first fight of the night, lightweight David Teymur put on a striking clinic against Martin Svensson. Teymur peppered Svensson with strikes from distance in the first round, then hurt him badly with an uppercut early in the second to lead to a TKO finish. Teymur was victorious as a -110 favorite while Svensson was +100. Underdogs That Won In the main event of the evening, middleweight Michael Bisping scored the biggest victory of his career over former UFC champion Anderson Silva. Silva showcased plenty of his usual antics, but Bisping never let off the pressure, hurting Silva in the first round and even dropping him in the second. Silva fired back by hurting Bisping in the third and fifth rounds, but it wasn’t enough as Bisping won three rounds to take a unanimous decision. Bisping was a +240 underdog while Silva was -260. In a bantamweight fight, Brad Pickett and Francisco Rivera put on a show for the fans, landing huge strikes against each other in the first round, with Rivera hurting Pickett multiple times. Pickett bounced back in the second with a takedown, although he ate some big shots along the way, before taking control in the third round with a decent amount of top position to walk away with a razor thin and slightly controversial split decision. Pickett pulled it out as a +140 dog while Rivera slowed down as a -150 favorite. In a lightweight fight, Teemu Packalen made quick work of short notice replacement Thibault Gouti after landing a huge uppercut in the opening seconds. Packalan swarmed the hurt Gouti and locked in a choke to force a tap in less than 30 seconds. Packalen was a +100 underdog while Gouti was -110. Pick’em Fights In a heavyweight contest, Daniel Omielanczuk outlasted Jarjis Danho, weathering the early clinch storm before finding space to connect with kicks from distance and open up with his striking. A low blow in the third round forced the bout to end early, but Omielanczuk walked away with a technical decision. Both fighters closed at -105.
