UFC Fight Night 55 took place tonight at Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia, and overall the card was absolutely fantastic, as it featured a ridiculous variety of finishes that wowed the crowd from start to finish. Overall from a betting perspective, five favorites and five underdogs won, while one fight was a Pick ’em 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, Luke Rockhold defeated Michael Bisping via second-round submission (guillotine choke). The first round was competitive as both men exchanged strikes, but in the second Rockhold was able to rock Bisping with a head kick, get the fight to the mat, and then get the guillotine for the submission win. Rockhold closed at -525 (bet $525 to win $100) while Bisping lost at +450 (bet $100 to win $450) In a heavyweight bout, Soa Palelei defeated Walt Harris via second-round TKO (punches). Harris controlled the first round with his striking, but he got tired in the second and Palelei was able to land a takedown late in the second, get the fight to the mat, and pound Harris out for the win. Palelei was -185 while Harris was +170. In a lightweight bout, Jake Matthews defeated Vagner Rocha via second-round submission (rear-naked choke). Matthews controlled the first round and a half with his striking and wrestling, and then halfway through the second he rocked Rocha with a superman punch, threw him down to the ground, and lock in a rear-naked choke with no hooks for the victory. Matthews was -475 while Rocha was +420. In a flyweight bout, Louis Smolka defeated Richie Vaculik via third-round TKO (side kick and punches). Vaculik was winning the first two rounds with his boxing and takedowns, but in the early seconds of the third Smolka was able to hit him with a brutal kick to knock him out for one of the most impressive UFC knockouts in a while. Smolka was -340 while Vaculik was +310. In a bantamweight bout, Marcus Brimage defeated Jumabieke Tuerxun via first-round KO (head kick and punches). The two fighters felt each other out for the first few minutes of the fight, but eventually Brimage’s true power showed as he landed a brutal kick that clipped Tuerxun’s chin and put him out cold. Brimage was -660 while Tuerxun was +540. Underdogs That Won In a lightweight bout, Al Iaquinta defeated Ross Pearson via second-round TKO (punches). Pearson looked to be in control in the first round with his strikes, but in the second round Iaquinta was able to land his power on Pearson’s chin and finish him for the biggest win of his career to date. Iaquinta cashed at +120 while Pearson lost at +130. In a middleweight bout, Robert Whittaker defeated Clint Hester via second-round TKO (knee punches). Despite moving up a weight class, Whittaker looked absolutely fantastic, as he was the more effective striker up until the point of the knockout, which came as a pretty big shocker. Whtitaker was +170 while Hester was -185. In a light heavyweight bout, Anthony Perosh defeated Guto Inocente via first-round submission (rear-naked choke). Inocente was able to land an early takedown, and from there he made it look easy as he moved to mount and back control before eventually sinking in the RNC for the win at 42 years old. Perosh was +200 and Inocente was -220. In a welterweight bout, Sam Alvey defeated Dylan Andrews via first-round KO (punches). Andrews got a few takedowns early in the fight and looked like he was going to have a good night, but he landed on his head during a takedown attempt and Alvey got on top and rained down punches for a quick, brutal stoppage. Alvey was +140 while Andrews was -150. In a middleweight bout, Daniel Kelly defeated Luke Zachrich via first-round submission (kimura). Kelly landed some hard strikes on the feet and was then able to use his judo and get the fight to the ground, where he quickly locked in a kimura for a win in his UFC debut. Kelly was +260 while Zachrich was -290. Pick ‘Em Fights In a welterweight bout, Chris Clements defeated Vik Grujic via first-round TKO (punches). Grujic landed a takedown and then spent the first few minutes of the bout pushing Clements against the fence, but eventually Clements was able to break free. On the break from the clinch Clements hit Grujic with a knee that rocked him and he quickly swarmed on him to force referee Herb Dean to stop the contest. Both men were -105.
