In an event that had lost its two biggest fights, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) still managed to put on an entertaining show which featured a wide assortment of top European talent earlier today (Saturday, October 24, 2015) for UFC Fight Night 76, which was headlined by a flyweight match between Paddy Holohan and Louis Smolka. Overall, on the night six betting favorites were victorious while three underdogs picked up wins and there was one draw based on Several Bookmakers‘s closing odds. UFC Fight Night 76 Favorites That Won In the main event of the evening, flyweights Louis Smolka and Patrick Holohan put on an incredible display of grappling over the course of two rounds. Both Holohan and Smolka traded sweeps, submissions and dominant positions, but it was Smolka who got the the better of Holohan standing before finally forcing the Irishman to wilt near the end of the second round as he locked in a rear naked choke to pick up the submission victory. Smolka was victorious as a -170 favorite (Bet $170 to win $100) while Holohan couldn’t win one for the home team as a +160 (Bet $100 to win $160) underdog. In the co-main event of the evening, former TUF Smashes winner Norman Parke got back on the winning track with a solid showing against Reza Madadi. Parke was able to stile Madadi’s aggressive wrestling style and easily was able to outland Madadi on the feet with superior striking technique. Parke was victorious at -230 while Madadi lost as a +210 underdog. In the opening bout of the main card, Neil Seery and Jon Delos Reyes had a very entertaining flyweight battle. Delos Reyes consistently pushed the pace, but that played into Seery’s style as Seery landed some sharp strikes on the feet and latched on a guillotine choke as delos Reyes shot in for a takedown to force a tapout. Seery was a slight -125 favorite while delos Reyes was a +115 underdog. In a lightweight bout, Stevie Ray lived up to the Scottish hype by outworking a game Mickail Lebout over the course of three rounds. Ray was the more technical and powerful striker, but Lebout continued to put pressure on him over the course of three rounds. In the end, the judges sided with Ray and his sharp counter strikes via unanimous decision. Ray closed as the biggest favorite of the night at -525 while Lebout was +450. In a welterweight battle, Tom Breese continued to showcase his rapid development with a fantastic performance against an overmatched Cathal Pendred. Pendred was game, but he was too slow for Breese, who blistered him with sharp strikes, eventually finishing him with follow-up strikes after dropping him along the fence near the end of the first round. Breese looked strong as a -270 favorite while Pendred lost his second straight bout as a +248 dog. In a featherweight bout, Darren Elkins pushed an extremely high pace that Rob Whiteford couldn’t keep up with. Elkins constantly threatened with clinches, takedowns and submission attempts which also allowed him to land some decent shots on the feet. Whiteford faded down the stretch and Elkins kept him on his back for extended periods to walk away with a one-sided decision victory. Elkins came through as a -150 betting favorite while Whiteford was overwhelmed as a +140 underdog. UFC Fight Night 76 Underdogs that Won In a women’s strawweight bout, Aisling Daly and Ericka Almeida had a competitive scrap, but it was Daly, fueled by a raucous hometown Irish crowd, who was able to push a high pace both in open space and in the clinch to earn a unanimous decision victory. Daly won as a slight +105 underdog while Almeida was a -115 favorite. In a middleweight contest, Scott Askham and Krzysztof Jotko had a very evenly matched battle where both men landed good strikes, threatened with submissions and had their respective moments. It could have gone either way, but the judges sided with Jotko via a close split decision. Jotko earned the nod as a +130 dog while Askham was -140. In the opening bout of the evening, Garreth McLellan weathered the early storm from Bubba Bush to pull out an extremely late finish. Bush opened strong with takedowns in the first round, but ran out of steam while McLellan, perhaps aided by a fence grab, spent the majority of the second round punishing him from top position. Bush eventually wilted at the end of the third and was finished as McLellan poured it on. McLellan was a +285 underdog while Bush lost as a -315 betting favorite. UFC Fight Night 76 Draws In a thrilling battle between unbeaten welterweight prospects, Darren Till and Nicolas Dalby left it all on the line in the most entertaining bout of the evening. Till looked great early, dropping Dalby at the end of the first round and he was up two rounds to none heading into the third, but he got obliterated by an onslaught of strikes from a highly motivated Dalby. Dalby was able to take the third round 10-8 on two judges’ scorecards and that resulted in the contest being ruled a majority draw. Till closed as a -140 favorite while Dalby was +130.
