The World Series of Fighting staged their second event tonight in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and overall it was one of the better non-UFC cards of the year, with terrific action on both the preliminary and main cards. Betting wise, four favorites won, while two underdogs cashed. Here’s a betting recap for the event based on the closing MMA odds for WSOF 2: WSOF BETTING FAVORITES THAT WON In the co-main event of the evening, Marlon Moraes knocked out Tyson Nam with a head kick and follow up punches to pick up a huge victory in the bantamweight division. Moraes, who has wins over Nam and Miguel Torres in his last two outings, closed as a -185 favorite to win the fight (bet $185 to win $100), while Nam closed as a +170 underdog (bet $100 to win $170). The big knockout win could have the UFC interested in Moraes, but look for the WSOF to try and hold on to one of the best bantamweight prospects out there. Also on the main card, David Branch utterly destroyed Paulo Filho for three rounds to win a unanimous decision by scores of 30-26, 30-27, and 30-27. Filho was his typical, non-existant self in the bout, and Branch took it to him for 15 minutes, taking him down and will and raining down blows from the top position the whole time, although the referee surprisingly let the fight continue while Filho absorbed all kinda of punishment. Branch closed as a -210 favorite, while Filho was a +190 underdog. In the opening fight of the main card, lightweight prospect Justin Gaethje defeated veteran JZ Cavalcante via TKO (cut) in the first round. Gaethje absolutely unloaded on Cavalcante through the first few minutes of the fight until the opened up a big cut on the Blackzilian’s forehead. That’s when the doctor was called into the cage to check on the wounded fighter, and the doctor decided to wave the fight off even though it appeared that Cavalcante could still see. The fans booed the stoppage, but Gaethje was well on his way to winning the fight, anyways. The youngster closed as a -155 favorite, while Cavalcante closed at +145. In a preliminary card bout between former UFC fighters, Waylon Lowe knocked out Cameron Dollar with one punch just 178 seconds into the fight in what was his World Series of Fighting debut. Lowe was a -390 favorite to win the fight, while Dollar closed as a +270 underdog. Since being cut by the UFC following a 2-2 stint in the promotion, Lowe has dropped to featherweight and is 4-0 with four knockout wins. After this incredible knockout of Dollar, who was on a roll himself since exiting Zuffa, don’t be surprised if Lowe gets another stint in the Octagon. WSOF BETTING UNDERDOGS THAT WON In the main event of the evening, Anthony Johnson won a unanimous decision over Andrei Arlovski to pick up by far the biggest win over his career. Johnson was the better striker throughout and pushed Arlovski against the fence to take time off the clock and win the decision. The judges scored the fight 29-28, 29-28, and 29-28 for Johnson, who has won all five of his fights since being released by the UFC. It’s possible he may get the call to rejoin the big show, but at what weight is the question mark, since this fight took place at heavyweight and Johnson would be too small to compete in the UFC heavyweight division. Johnson closed as a +120 underdog, while Arlovski closed as a -130 favorite. Also on the main card, Josh Burkman knocked out Aaron Simpson in the first round of their welterweight bout with a knee and follow-up punches. Burkman cashed as a huge underdog, so congrats to anyone who bet on “The People’s Warrior,” who has won seven of his last eight fights since being released from the UFC, with the only defeat coming to hotshot prospect Jordan Mein. Simpson, meanwhile was knocked out for the second-straight fight and doesn’t look like an effective fighter at 170 pounds. Burkman closed at +230, while Simpson closed as a -250 favorite to win.
