UFC Fight Island 2 took place Saturday, July 18, 2020 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The card was headlined by a flyweight title bout rematch between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo.
Closing odds are courtesy of one of the most popular Las Vegas based sportsbooks Circa Sports. Here’s a quick recap of each of those fights.
Favorites that Won
In the main event, Deiveson Figueiredo annihilated Joseph Benavidez, dropping him three times in the first round and threatening with multiple rear naked chokes before finally choking him unconscious late in the first round. Figueiredo was the favorite at -220 while Benavidez was +190
Ariane Lipski controlled an early grappling exchange, then latched onto a brutal kneebar to violently finish Luane Carolina. Lipski was a -117 favorite while Carolina was -103
Khadis Ibragimov was competitive with UFC newcomer Roman Dolidze, but with one minute remaining in the first round, Dolidze connected with a a head kick to drop Ibragimov, and he followed up to finish him with ground strikes. Dolidze closed -155 while Ibragimov was +135
Grant Dawson held his own with Nad Narimani on the feet, and controlled all the grappling exchanges with takedowns and dominant positions to easily earn a unanimous decision. Dawson closed -500 with the return on Narimani +395
Amir Albazi outstruck and outgrappled Malcolm Gordon, eventually latching on a triangle choke as Gordon tried to reverse a full mount position to force a first round tap. Albazi was a -135 favorite while Gordon was +115
Arman Tsarukyan showcased his full skill-set, outstriking and outgrappling Davi Ramos en route to earning a one-sided unanimous decision. Tsarukyan came through as a -235 favorite while Ramos was a +200 underdog.
In the opening bout of the evening, Carlos Felipe held his own in the first two rounds against Serghei Spivac, but Spivac turned turned it on late, dominating the third round 10-8 with takedowns, ground and pound and dominant position to take a majority decision. Spivac was -200. Felipe was +175
Underdogs that Won
Rafael Fiziev denied Marc Diakiese’s wrestling early and pounded Diakiese with brutal body kicks and superior striking to win the first two rounds. Diakiese was able to win the third round, but it was too little, too late. Fiziev was +162 while Diakiese was -187
Alexandre Pantoja started strong with powerful and aggressive striking, but Askar Askarov turned it up in rounds two and three with decent striking of his own plus takedowns to earn a unanimous decision. Askarov was a +165 underdog while Pantoja was -190
Joe Duffy was performing well on the feet against Joel Alvarez, then he inexplicably shot in for a takedown against the superior grappler and was almost instantly tapped out via guillotine choke. Duffy then promptly retired from MMA. Alvarez was victorious as a +210 underdog while Duffy was -245.
Montel Jackson hurt Brett Johns early, but he couldn’t put him away, and Johns responded with takedowns and dominant positions in rounds two and three to take a unanimous decision for the upset. Johns was a +240 underdog while Jackson was -280
Pick ’em Fights
Kelvin Gastelum scored a big throw early, but Jack Hermansson countered with a leg lock attempt. Gastelum was unable to escape the position and tapped out to the first round heel hook. Both fighters closed as -110 pick ’ems.
