UFC 158 was a solid event from both an entertainment point of view as well as a betting perspective. Overall, nine favorites came through, while three underdogs cashed. The MMA Oddsbreaker crew had a solid night overall, so if you tailed us in your bets you likely had a good night. UFC BETTING FAVORITES THAT WON In the main event of the evening, Georges St-Pierre set the record for most welterweight title defences (eight) as he defeated Nick Diaz via unanimous decision to keep the UFC welterweight championship. It was a dominating victory for St-Pierre, who closed as a -545 favorite (bet $545 to win $100), while Diaz, who closed as a +465 underdog (bet $100 to win $465), didn’t put up much of a fight. In another high-profile welterweight bout, Jake Ellenberger knocked out Nate Marquardt in the first round in what was a statement victory for the American, who is easily one of the best 170 pounders in the world. Ellenberger closed as a -135 favorite, while Marquardt was a +125 dog. Also on the main card, Montreal’s Mike Ricci defeated Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher via unanimous decision to pick up his first victory in the Octagon. Ricci closed at -430, while the comeback on Fletcher was +338. In the FX main event, Patrick Cote won a controversial unanimous decision over Bobby Voelker. Most media members and even UFC president Dana White scored the bout for Voelker, but officially it goes down for a victory for Cote in his welterweight debut. Cote closed at -190, while Voelker closed at +175. Also on the FX card, Darren Elkins knocked out Antonio Carvalho to improve to 5-0 as a featherweight in the UFC. The stoppage was definitely questionable, with referee Yves Lavinge arguably stopping it too soon, but it counts as a win for Elkins and those who picked him to win. Elkins closed at -220, while Carvalho closed at +200. The pride of Lethbridge, AB, Jordan Mein showed why he’s going to be a title contender in the near future as he became the first man to knock out Dan Miller. It was an absolutely incredible performance by Mein, who continued the trend of Strikeforce fighters looking awesome in the UFC. Mein closed at -290, while Miller closed at +260. Montreal’s John Makdessi won a unanimous decision over Daron Cruickshank in a fairly entertaining bout to continue the trend of betting favorites on this card coming through. Makdessi, who opened as an underdog, closed at -125, while Cruickshank closed at +115. In a super-impressive victory that puts him back in contention for the title, Rick Story demolished Quinn Mulhern in the first round with a blistering knockout. Story, who is the only man to defeat Johny Hendricks, closed at -370, while the comeback on Mulhern was +330. In a bantamweight bout, TJ Dillashaw knocked out Issei Tamura with a knee to continue his win streak in the UFC. The Team Alpha Male product was the biggest favorite on the card, as he closed at -660 while Tamura, the biggest underdog on the card, closed at +540. UFC BETTING UNDERDOGS THAT WON In the co-main event of the evening, Johny Hendricks won a unanimous decision over Carlos Condit to solidify his place as the No. 1 contender in the UFC welterweight division. Hendricks’ combination of takedowns and strikes earned him the judges’ decision, although Condit showed a ton of heart in the contest, which was one of the best fights of the year so far. Hendricks closed as a +102 underdog, while Condit closed as a -112 favorite, meaning the lines flipped after Hendricks originally opened as the favorite. Also on the main card, Chris Camozzi won a tight split decision over Nick Ring in a rather lack luster affair. It appeared as though the judges got this one right, with Camozzi doing most of the damage in the fight. The American closed as a +135 underdog, while Ring was a -145 favorite. And in the first bout of the evening, George Roop won a pretty clear-cut decision over Reuben Duran. Roop closed as a +110 underdog, while Duran closed as a -120 favorite.
