UFC on FUEL TV 7 was another difficult card to bet on on, as six underdogs cashed while six favorites won. Overall the MMA Oddsbreaker crew did well on their bets but this card wasn’t an easy one to make money on at all. UFC BETTING FAVORITES THAT WON In the main event of the evening, Renan Barao submitted Michael McDonald in the fourth round of a war with an arm-triangle choke to retain the UFC interim bantamweight championship. Barao was absolutely dominant for the whole fight, and he’ll now meet UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in a summer showdown if Cruz is healthy. Barao closed as a -295 favorite (bet $295 to win $100), while McDonald closed as a +265 underdog (bet $100 to win $265). Jimi Manuwa defeated Cyrille Diabate via TKO (leg injury) at the 5:00 minute mark of round one after the Englishman demolished the Frenchman’s leg with brutal leg kicks. Manuwa was a favorite at -200, while the comeback on Diabate was +185. Gunnar Nelson was able to defeat veteran Jorge Santiago via decision in a main card mathcup. Nelson was very impressive throughtout the fight but Sntiago definitely had his chances. It was a close fight but there’s no question Nelson deserved the win, which moves him to 2-0 in the UFC and looking at a big-name opponent in his next outing. Nelson closed at -335, while Santiago closed at +305. In one of the best fights of the night, James Te Huna was able to withstand Ryan Jimmo’s early attack and earn the judges’ decision. Te Huna lost the first round after Jimmo knocked him down cleanly with a head kick, but after surviving Jimmo’s early onslaught Te Huna was able to battle back and earn the nod on the judges’ scorecards. Te Huna was -220, and Jimmo was +200. Tom Watson was able to survive an early flurry from Stanislav Nedkov and win via late second-round TKO in a “Fight of the Year” candidate. Both men went toe-to-toe for close minutes but Watson was able to use his muay Thai clinch to his advantage and knock out Nedkov after he gassed out. Watson was -110, and the comeback on Nedkov closed at EVEN. Vaughan Lee defeated Motonobu Tezuka in one of the most boring fights of the year so far. Tezuka tried to go for the single-leg takedown but Lee defended it for 15 minutes and Tezuka clearly lost. Lee was a -125 favorite, while Tezuka was a +115 dog. UFC BETTING UNDERDOGS THAT WON In the co-main event of the evening, Cub Swanson outlasted Dustin Poirier to win a clear unanimous decision. It was a wonderful bout and both men deserved the crowd to cheer them as they put on a great show. Swanson now moves to 4-1 as a UFC featherweight and into top contender status in the division. Swanson was a +100 underdog, while Poirier was a -110 favorite. Matt Riddle was able to use takedowns and clinch control to defeat Che Mills via decision. Riddle was a underdog, while Mills was a favorite. The MMA Oddscast was confident of a Riddle victory, so if you listened to our advice, congrats. Riddle closed at even, while Mills was -110. Renee Forte was able to defeat to defeat Terry Etim via decision to win as a big underdog. Forte controlled the majority of the fight and deserved to get the win to improve to 1-1 in the UFC, while Etim is now riding a two-fight losing streak. Forte was +320, while Etim was -350. Andy Ogle defeated Josh Grispi via decision to keep his job in the UFC. It wasn’t a good fight at all, but Ogle wins and moves on to greener pastures while Grispi’s career is now in question. Ogle was +140, Grispi -150. Danny Castillo was a slight underdog and managed to sit in Paul Sass’ guard for three rounds and still win by decision. It was a terrific performance by Castillo, who needs to be taken seriously by any lightweight in the UFC. Castillo was EVEN, while Sass was -110. In the first fight of the night, Phil Harris was able to defeat Ulysses Gomez via decision. It was a competitive fight but Harris deserved to win, and now he moves into the top 15 of the UFC flyweight division, if not the top 10. Harris was a +185 dog, while Gomez closed at -200.
