UFC on FOX 7 took place tonight at HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA, and it was a very memorable event that produced eight brutal finishes as well as four decisions. Overall, 10 betting favorites won, while only two underdogs cashed. Here’s a betting recap based on the closing MMA odds. UFC on FOX 7 Betting Favorites That Won In the main event of the evening, Benson Henderson won another controversial decision, this time a split decision win over Gilbert Melendez to retain the UFC lightweight title. It was a close bout and the majority of those on social media scored it for Melendez, but the champion ultimately got the judges’ nod. Henderson closed as a -310 favorite (bet $310 to win $100), while Melendez closed at $280 (bet $100 to win $280). In the co-main event, Daniel Cormier outgrappled Frank Mir for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory, the judges scoring it 30-27, 30-27 and 30-27 for Cormier. It was a big win for “DC,” but the fans booed him and he needs a better performance the next time out to prove that he’s a legit title contender. Cormier closed at -375, while Mir closed at +335. In the main event of the FX card, Chad Mendes knocked out Darren Elkins at 1:08 into round one in what was basically a squash match. Mendes easily cashed at -615, while Elkins was a underdog +510. In a closely-contested middleweight bout, Francis Carmont edged out Lorenz Larkin for a unanimous decision win, with the judges scoring the contest 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. It was one of those fights that could have gone either way, but ultimately Carmont’s aggression and Octagon control won him the affair. Carmont closed at -110, while Larkin closed at +100. In a lightweight bout, Myles Jury knocked out Ramsey Nijem with a punch at 1:02 of round two to cash as a -210 favorite, while Nijem closed as a +190 underdog. The first round was definitely a close call, but Jury easily finished off Nijem in the second and look for him to get a step up in competition his next time out. In a flyweight bout, Joseph Benavidez knocked out a game Darren Uyenoyama at 4:50 of round two with a brutal liver shot. Benavidez closed at -570, while Uyenoyama closed at +480. In a lightweight bout, Jorge Masvidal won a competitive decision over Tim Means, all three judges scoring it 29-28 in favor of Masvidal. Masvidal closed as a -115 favorite, while Means closed at +105. In a bantamweight bout, TJ Dillashaw knocked out Hugo Viana with punches at 4:22 of round one in what was a slugfest. Dillashaw closed at -320, while Viana closed at +290. In a lightweight bout, Anthony Njokuani knocked out Roger Bowling with a beautifully-timed punch at 2:52 of round two to get back in the winner’s column. Njokuani closed at -175, while Bowling closed at +165. In the first fight of the night, Yoel Romero knocked out Clifford Starks with a flying knee at 1:32 of round one in a performance that won him a share of “KO of the Night.” It was a brilliant performance by Romero in his first UFC fight, and he will definitely get a step up next time out. Romero closed at -175, while Starks closed at +165. UFC on FOX 7 Betting Underdogs That Won In a main card lightweight bout, Josh Thomson became the first man to ever defeat Nate Diaz via strikes with a brutal head kick and punches TKO at 3:44 in the second round of their fight to win a share of “KO of the Night.” Thomson cashed as a +135 underdog, while Diaz closed as a -145 favorite. In the first fight of the main card, Matt Brown finished off Jordan Mein via strikes at 1:00 of round two to cash as a giant underdog. The match won “Fight of the Night” as each man pummelled each other with major punishment for nearly two rounds until Brown finished off Mein with a brutal barrage of punches and elbows to earn the referee stoppage. Brown closed at +290, while Mein closed at -320.
