UFC 172 took place tonight in Baltimore, MD, and the event proved to be one of the very best of the year overall as it featured a number of exciting, back-and-forth bouts, many of which ended in awesome finishes. Overall, seven favorites won while three underdogs cashed out. Here’s a betting recap for UFC 172 based on the closing results at Several Bookmakers: UFC 172 Favorites That Won In the main event of the evening, Jon Jones defeated Glover Teixeira via unanimous decision (50-45 x 5) to retain the UFC light heavyweight championship. Although Teixeira was durable and stood and traded for five full rounds, Jones proved to be too much in the clinch and at distance and outlanded Teixeira to earn a clear-cut win. The champ closed at -440 (bet $440 to win $100), while the challenger closed at +390 (bet $100 to win $390). In a middleweight bout, Luke Rockhold defeated Tim Boetsch via first-round submission (kimura). Rockhold dominated Boetsch right from the opening bell, getting a dominant position on the ground and converting it into a submission win. Rockhold closed at -1000 and Boetsch closed at +800. In a lightweight bout, Jim Miller defeated Yancy Medeiros via first-round submission (guillotine choke). Miller was able to get the fight to the floor early on and locked in one of his favorite submissions for the sweet victory. Miller closed at -185 and Medeiros was +170. In a flyweight bout, Joseph Benavidez defeated Timothy Elliott via first-round submission (guillotine choke). Elliott surprised early with some strong takedowns and grappling, but Benavidez was able to get into the mount and locked in his signature submission in an awesome fight. Benavidez was -450, Elliott was +400. In a lightweight bout, Takanori Gomi defeated Isaac Vallie-Flagg via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3). These two veterans engaged in a back-and-forth war for 15 minutes but Gomi landed the cleaner shots and deserved the win. Gomi closed at -155 and IVF closed at +145. In a lightweight matchup, Danny Castillo defeated Charlie Brenneman via second-round KO (punch). Brenneman controlled the fight early with his wrestling, but in round two Castillo landed a giant overhand right that knocked Brenneman out cold. Castillo was -355, Brenneman was +320. In a bantamweight tilt, Chris Beal defeated Patrick Williams via second-round KO (flying knee). Williams kept backing up against the fence for no real reason and paid for it dearly with a knockout loss via flying knee. Beal closed at -110, Williams +100. UFC 172 Underdogs That Won In the co-main event of the evening, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson defeated Phil Davis via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3). Johnson’s takedown defence was impeccable and his striking looked amazing as well as he picked apart Davis en route to a clear-cut win. Johnson closed as a big +220 dog, while Davis lost at -240. In a featherweight bout, Max Holloway defeated Andre Fili via third-round submission (guillotine choke). This was an ultra-competitive fight between two up-and-coming 145ers that was destined to be a split decision when it hit the judges’ scorecards, but Holloway was able to secure Fili’s neck late and get the tapout win. Holloway closed at +125 and Fili was -135. In a women’s bantamweight bout, Bethe Correia defeated Jessamyn Duke via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28). Despite being undersized and lacking the reach, Correia was able to land more strikes throughout the contest and deserved the nod on the scorecards. Correia was +125 and Duke was -135.
