UFC Fight Night 73 took place last night (August 8, 2015) in Nashville, Tennessee and it produced some noteworthy moments. There was a pretty entertaining main event, a questionable decision in the co-main event, and some great performances that elevated some fighters to new heights. Here are some prop bets that cashed big last night for bettors. Glover Teixeira wins by submission (+475), Glover Teixeira wins in round 3 (+875) Teixeira came into this fight against Ovince Saint Preux on a two fight losing streak and there were many that questioned his future as a top fighter in the light-heavyweight division. He came in out of shape in his last fight against Phil Davis and he had chosen to stay close to home to train instead of training at American Top Team, where he would have access to top training partners and coaches on a daily basis. There was also his age to consider, as he is now 35 years old and does not have many years left in the sport. However, Teixeira put on a vintage performance, as he dominated Saint Preux on the mat before ultimately submitting him in the third round via rear-naked choke. Glover’s biggest edge in this fight was his grappling, which made the price on his submission prop attractive to the fortunate bettors that grabbed that line. Amanda Nunes wins by submission (+1665) and Amanda Nunes wins in round one (+650) Amanda Nunes winning in round one did not surprise me that much, as I had actually bet that myself. However, her winning by submission was a complete surprise. She has not shown much of a submission game up until this point in her career and has a reputation as a knockout artist. She did hurt Sara McMann on the feet before submitting her, but Nunes still showed solid positional control and pulled off a great rear-naked choke. This is Amanda’s biggest win of her career and could put her in line for a title shot after Miesha Tate gets her third crack at Ronda Rousey. Dustin Ortiz wins in round 3 (+600) and Dustin Ortiz wins by knockout (+370) Ortiz had his most impressive UFC performance to date last night, as he completely dominated the dangerous Willie Gates for three rounds before stopping him late in the third round with brutal ground pound. Ortiz had his way with Gates on the mat and routinely passed Gates’ guard and threatened with submissions, some of which were very close. It was not until the third round, however, that Ortiz finally stopped the durable Gates with a vicious series of punches and elbows on the ground. I was a tad disappointed, as I had a bet on Ortiz to win by decision, which he was two minutes away from doing. Ortiz will earn a step up in competition after this nice win and the future looks promising for the 26-year old member of Roufusport. Scott Holtzman wins by submission (+690) and Scott Holtzman wins in round three (+700) Scott “Hot Sauce” Holtzman made good on his UFC debut in a big way, as he dominated the overmatched Anthony Christodoulou for two and a half rounds before submitting him with a rear-naked choke in the third round. Holtzman busted Christodoulou up on the feet with vicious punches and elbows to the head and body, while also mixing in leg kicks that were clearly taking their toll by the third round. A battered Christodoulou had no choice but to tap when Holtzman took his back and locked in a rear-naked choke midway through the final frame. While this is a solid debut for Holtzman, it should be noted that Christodoulou is not a UFC caliber fighter. Holtzman will likely receive a tougher matchup in his next fight. Marlon Vera wins by submission (+345) and Marlon Vera wins in round 2 (+625) Those who tuned into the UFC Fight Pass prelims got to see Marlon Vera submit Roman Salazar when he locked in a sweet triangle armbar from his back in the second round. Vera found himself on his back for a good portion of the first and second rounds, but he found his opening midway through the second frame and pulled off one of the best techniques of the night. After securing the triangle, Vera then grabbed Salazar’s arm and locked in an armbar, which made Salazar tap immediately. The submission earned Vera a $50,000 performance bonus and evened up his UFC record at 1-1.
