UFC 202 Closing Odds and Results

UFC returned Las Vegas, Nevada last night (Saturday, August 20th, 2016) for a pay-per-view event. The card was headlined by a welterweight rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. All in all, nine favorites won, while two upset occurred. Here’s how everything played out based on the Several Bookmakers closing odds: Favorites That Won In the main event of the evening, Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz put on a battle for the ages in a welterweight rematch. McGregor came out guns blazing, landing vicious low kicks and dropping Diaz three times in the first two rounds, but Diaz turned the corner midway through the second frame, blasting McGregor whenever he cornered him against the fence with huge combinations. McGregor rallied in the fourth, but Diaz came back to take the fifth in an absolute bloody war. It all came down to the second round and the judges sided with McGregor via majority decision. McGregor was victorious as a -130 favorite (bet $130 to win $100) while Diaz couldn’t quite pull it out as a +120 underdog. In the light heavyweight co-main event, Anthony Johnson obliterated Glover Teixeira in just 13 seconds. Johnson landed a huge uppercut up the middle that dropped Teixeira and put him out in a hurry to earn his second title shot. Johnson won as a -231 favorite while Teixeira was +221. In a welterweight bout, Donald Cerrone continued his surge through the new division by earning a second round TKO victory over Rick Story. Story is known for his constant pressure, but he decided to kickbox with Cerrone from distance at the end of the first round and for all of the second round, which easily allowed Cerrone to dismantle him. Cerrone was a -135 favorite while Story was a +125 underdog. In a welterweight bout, Tim Means put on a clinic against an overmatched Sabah Homasi. Means landed nasty elbows, straight punches, knees and anything else that hurts, eventually putting a bleeding Homasi away early in the second round via standing TKO. Means was the winner as a -400 favorite while Homasi lost at +355. In the preliminary card headliner, Cody Garbrandt crushed veteran Takeya Mizugaki in what could have been a bantamweight title opportunity. Garbrandt landed a monster hook on Mizugaki and put him away with repeated ground strikes to earn a quick first round TKO. Krylov closed at -500 while Mizugaki was a +435 dog. In a women’s bantamweight scrap, Raquel Pennington was able to outclinch, outgrapple and outstrike Elizabeth Phillips over the course of three rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory. Pennington was a -305 favorite while Phillips was +275. In a featherweight contest, Artem Lobov utilized his veteran gamesmanship to outwork UFC newcomer Chris Avila. Avila seemed a bit flustered by the bright lights of the Octagon and Lobov put a lot of pressure on him standing and in the clinch en route to an easy decision win. Lobov was victorious as a -135 favorite while Avilva was +125. In a welterweight bout, Colby Covington put on a wrestling and ground and pound showcase against a game Max Griffin. Griffin tried to get things going standing, but was repeatedly taken down and beaten up, eventually wilting under the pressure and getting finished via ground strikes in the third round. Covington was victorious as a -400 favorite while Griffin lost at +355. In the opening bout of the night, Marvin Vettori made an impressive UFC debut by submitting Alberto Uda. Vettori scored a takedown in the first round, ate some strikes despite being in top position, then slapped on a guillotine choke during a scramble to force a tap. Vettori held serve as a -160 favorite while Uda was even +150. Underdogs That Won In a welterweight fight, short notice injury replacement Mike Perry made a huge statement in his UFC debut, earning a first round TKO victory over Hyun Gyu Lim. Perry dropped Lim three times, showcasing excellent accuracy and he put the bigger stronger opponent away. Perry was victorious as a +245 (Bet $100 to win $245) underdog while Lim was -265. In a women’s strawweight fight, Randa Markos made a huge mistake against Cortney Casey, giving up her back in a scramble and was eventually forced to tap out to an armbar in the first round. Casey was victorious as a +140 underdog while Markos was -150. In the Fight Pass headliner, welterweight Lorenz Larkin scored a massive victory with a TKO stoppage over Neil Magny. Magny had no answer for Larkin’s low kicks and speed, eating huge shots and eventually forcing desperation takedowns which led to some brutal elbows for the finish. Larkin won as a +125 underdog while Magny was -135.