UFC Fight Night 54 took place tonight at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and the card mostly delivered as it featured some really nasty finishes on the prelims, although to be fair the main card dragged on as most fights went to decision — that is, until the main event. From a betting perspective, 10 favorites came through while two underdogs cashed based on the closing odds at Several Bookmakers. Here’s a quick recap for each fight. Favorites That Won In the main event of the evening, Rory MacDonald defeated Tarec Saffiedine via third-round KO (punches). MacDonald used his jab and his technical striking in the first two rounds and in the third finally found a spot to unload and he connected on Saffiedine’s chin and finished him in brutal fashion. MacDonald scored as a -460 favorite (bet $460 to win $100) while Saffiedine fell as a +410 underdog (bet $100 to win $410). In a bantamweight bout, Raphael Assuncao defeated Bryan Caraway via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3). Assuncao was able to use his well-rounded mixed martial arts game to outpoint Caraway and take home a clear-cut decision on the scorecards as he picked up his seventh-straight win in the Octagon. Assuncao cashed at -450 while Caraway lost as a +400 underdog. In a lightweight bout, Chad Laprise defeated Yosdenis Cedeno via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3). The Canadian’s kickboxing looked sharp throughout the contest, plus he threw in a few takedowns to boot, and he easily had his hand raised when the judges’ scorecards were read. Laprise was -320 while Cedeno was +290. In a middleweight bout, Elias Theodorou defeated Bruno Santos via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3). Theodorou was the better striker and grappler during round one and three and clearly won those, although he had a few scares in the second when he gave up his back. Still, he did what he had to do and picked up his second-straight win in the UFC post-TUF. Theodorou was -325 while Santos was +295. In a welterweight bout, Nordine Taleb defeated Li Jingliang via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27). Although Jingliang threw and landed more strikes, Taleb was the bigger and stronger fighter throughout and dictated where the fight took place, and at the end of 15 minutes the judges felt he did enough to win the fight. Taleb closed at -430 while Jingliang was +380 in a losing cause. In a bantamweight bout, Mitch Gagnon defeated Roman Salazar via first-round submission (rear-naked choke). This was a massive mismatch on paper and it certainly played out that way in the cage. Gagnon, who is one of the best ground fighters in the division, was able to snatch Salazar’s neck early in the fight and choke him out with the RNC for the victory. Gagnon was -750 while Salazar was +600. In a lightweight fight, Daron Cruickshank defeated Anthony Njokuani via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3). Cruickshank was smart in this fight and used his wrestling to take Njokuani down to the mat, score points, and win a clear decision once the 15 minutes were up. Cruickshank was -110 while Njokuani was +100. In a lightweight bout, Olivier Aubin-Mercier defeated Jake Lindsey via second-round submission (inverted triangle choke). After a competitive first round that saw each man exchange takedowns, OAM was able to land the takedown in the second, pass to side control, and then lock his legs around Lindsey’s neck to secure the highlight-reel submission. OAM was -525 while Lindsey closed at +450. In a welterweight bout, Albert Tumenov defeated Matt Dwyer via first-round KO (head kick). Tumenov showed why he’s such a highly-touted prospect as he was able to land two brutal head kicks in a row on Dwyer early in round one that put his opponent completely out cold in one of the most brutally-awesome stoppages MMA has seen in the last few months, perhaps even all year. Tumenov was -440 while Dwyer was +390. In a bantamweight bout, Pedro Munhoz defeated Jerrod Sanders via first-round submission (guillotine choke). Munhoz did what he does best — dominate. He took Sanders’ neck very early in the fight and tapped him out for the second-quickest finish in UFC/WEC bantamweight history. Impressive, to say the least. Munhoz was -525, while Sanders was +450. Underdogs That Won In a lightweight bout, Paul Felder defeated Jason Saggo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28). This was an extremely close fight and realistically could have either way, but Felder landed more strikes and did more damage throughout the 15 minutes and in two judges’ eyes that outweighed the top position of Saggo. Felder was a +150 underdog while Saggo closed at -160. In a flyweight bout, Chris Kelades defeated Patrick Holohan via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3). After winning the first round, Holohan seemed completely burned out and Kelades — who took the fight on five days’ notice — was able to grind him out and beat him up and win the last two rounds for a clear-cut unanimous decision on the judges’ cards in front of his hometown crowd. Kelades was a +435 underdog while Holohan was a -500 favorite.
