UFC 211 took place Saturday night (May 14, 2017) from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The card was headlined by Stipe Miocic defending the UFC heavyweight championship against former champion Junior dos Santos.
From a betting perspective, seven favorites won, two underdogs had their hand raised, two fights closed as a Pick’em and one bout ended in a No-Contest. Closing odds are courtesy of Several Bookmakers. Here’s a quick recap of each of the 12 fights…
Favorites that Won
In the main event, Stipe Miocic made quick work of a hesitant Junior dos Santos, finishing the former champ inside of the first round. It was Miocic’s second consecutive title defense in the UFC, tying the record for the division. Miocic closed as a -165 favorite while the challenger ended up as a +145 underdog.
Undisputed strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk won all five rounds of her title defense against Jessica Andrade to win a wide decision on the scorecards. The champion landed 225 significant strikes in this fight, which are the most ever in a UFC title fight. Jedrzejczyk closed a deserving -190 favorite while Andrade closed as a +165 underdog in defeat.
Demian Maia snuck out a split-decision win over Jorge Masvidal to put himself into the No. 1 contender slot for the welterweight championship. Maia closed as a slight favorite at -115 while Masvidal was at -105 at the opening bell.
Future UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar halted the Yair Rodriguez hype train by landing heavy ground-and-pound and forcing the doctor to stop the fight at the conclusion of the second round. Edgar closed as a -140 favorite while Rodriguez was +120 in his first loss in the UFC.
Heavy favorite James Vick did what he was supposed to do by earning a quick stoppage win over Marco Polo Reyes. The Lloyd Irvin product dropped Reyes in round one and followed up with ground-and-pound to get the win. Vick closed as the second biggest favorite on the card at -355 while Reyes was worth +320.
Cortney Casey earned the biggest win of her career by battering Jessica Aguilar in both the standing and ground exchanges. Casey entered her bout a -160 favorite while Aguilar closed a +140 underdog.
Gadzhimurad Antigulov opened the fight card with a swift victory over Joachim Christensen. He quickly took Christensen to the mat and found a choke to earn the win. Antigulov closed as the biggest favorite on the card at -380. Christensen closed a +315 underdog, which was second only to Reyes.
Underdogs that Won
Former World Series of Fighting two-division champion David Branch relied on timely takedowns to sneak out a split-decision win over ninth-ranked Krzysztof Jotko. Branch closed a +150 underdog while Jotko was a -170 favorite.
Peruvian featherweight Enrique Barzola had no trouble securing takedowns in his bout with Mexican fighter Gabriel Benitez. Barzola was knocked down late in the third round, so he had to sweat a decision to get the win. Barzola closed as a +155 underdog and Benitez a -135 favorite.
Pick’em Fights
Jason Knight and Chas Skelly both closed at -110, but it was Knight who really turned it on the second half of the fight. Knight landed a knockdown in the third round and was able to finish to earn the biggest win of his career. He’s now won his last four fights in the promotion.
Rashad Coulter and Chase Sherman also both closed at -110 and put on one of the most entertaining fights of the year. The two heavyweights had a prolonged striking exchange that had fans on their feet. Sherman ultimately landed a well-timed elbow against the cage that dropped Coulter and finished the fight.
No-Contest Fights
Dustin Poirier closed -130 with Eddie Alvarez at +110 in what was looking like a Fight of the Night caliber bout. The two lightweights were going back and forth in the second round when Alvarez landed an illegal knee in a grappling exchange. Herb Dean labeled it accidental and called the fight a No-Contest.
