Just like The MMA Oddscast predicted, UFC 156 was a very tricky card that played out in a crazy manner. In the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas, six underdogs came through on the night while only five favorites cashed. Here’s a betting recap for the event based on closing MMA odds: UFC BETTING FAVORITES THAT WON In the main event of the evening, Jose Aldo, who was a -190 favorite (bet $190 to win $100), defeated Frankie Edgar, who was a +175 underdog (bet $175 to win $100) via controversial unanimous decision to retain the UFC featherweight championship. Many had the fight for Edgar, who technically has three losses in a row on his record, while Aldo moves on to greater things in the UFC. In the opening main card bout, Joseph Benavidez (-210) battled Ian McCall (+190) over three competitive wins to eke out a close unanimous decision. The judges scored it 29-28 unanimously for Benavidez, who is likely next in line for UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. In the FX main event, Evan Dunham (-135) defeated Gleison Tibau (+125) via split decision. It was an excellent performance by Dunham, who completely outstruck Tibau over five rounds. As well, Tyron Woodley (-160) knocked out Jay Hieron (+130) to pick up a huge victory in his UFC debut. Woodley was extremely under-valued in the fight, while Hieron, who is 0-4 in the UFC, might not get another fight in the UFC. And in the opening fight of the night, Francisco Rivera (-305) knocked out Edwin Figeuroa (+275) in the second round to pick up another UFC victory. Rivera was a sizeable favorite, while Figeuroa — who was controlling the early portions of the bout — was a big underdog who was looking good early only to gas late and lose. UFC BETTING UNDERDOGS THAT WON In the biggest surprise of the night, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (+460) defeated Rashad Evans (-540) via unanimous decision in a massive upset. Nogueira completely outboxed Evans for the entire fight, earning a 29-28 decision on all three judges’ scorecards. In another giant upset, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (+390) knocked out Alistair Overeem (-440) in the third round with a brutal barrage of punches after Overeem gassed out trying to control Silva in the first two rounds. It was an incredible performance by Silva, who is now one step closer to a rematch with UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Also on the main card, Demian Maia (+161) blanketed Jon Fitch (-171) over the course of three rounds to pick up a unanimous decision. On the preliminary FX card, Bobby Green (+380) defeated Jacob Volkmann (-430) via submission. It was a very good performance by Green, who was controlled by Volkmann in the early going only to come back and win in his UFC debut. Also on the FX card, Isaac Vallie-Flagg (+195) won a controversial split decision over Yves Edwards (-215). The judges awarded Vallie-Flagg points for his aggressiveness, but most media members scored the bout for Edwards. Finally, in the second bout of the evening, Dustin Kimura (+125) fought back from being two rounds down to Chico Camus (-135)to score a third-round submission victory.
