Bellator 94 took place at the USF Sundome in Tampa, FL, tonight and overall only one favorite won while three underdogs came through in a card that was filled with some memorable moments, but also some controversy in the co-main event. Here’s a betting recap for the event based on the closing MMA odds: BELLATOR BETTING FAVORITES THAT WON In the co-main event of the evening, David Rickels defeated Saad Awad via TKO at the end of the second round to win the Bellator Season 8 Lightweight Tournament. However, the fight wasn’t without controversy. At the end of the second round, the two fighters exchanged a volley of strikes before Rickels dropped Awad with zero seconds left on the clock. After he got knocked down, Awad rolled over and seemed conscious, but for some reason referee Troy Waugh decided to wave the fight off despite Awad protesting the stoppage because he was still capable of fighting. Rickels closed as a -190 favorite (bet $190 to win $100), while Awad closed at +175 (bet $100 to win $175) in a fight that is sure to have many questions asked about it. Rickels will now fight the winner of Michael Chandler vs. Dave Jansen for the Bellator Lightweight Championship later this year. BELLATOR BETTING UNDERDOGS THAT WON In the main event of the evening, Emanuel Newton defeated Mikhail Zayats via unanimous decision to win the Bellator Season 8 Light Heavyweight Tournament. Newton won the first and third rounds, while Zayats won the second, and all the judges scored it 29-28 for Newton, which was the right score. It was a close fight but ultimately Newton deserved the win and now he’ll face off against Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Attila Vegh in a rematch of their July 2012 bout later this year. Newton closed as a +110 underdog to win, while Zayats closed at -120. In a welterweight tournament qualifier, Luis Melo defeated Trey Houston via third-round submission (arm-triangle choke) to earn his spot in the next Bellator 170-pound tourney. It was a very fun fight between two 170 pounders trying to make their mark in Bellator, but ultimately Melo was the better fighter and he deserved to win the fight. Melo closed at +110, while Houston closed at -120. And in the opening main card bout, Rodrigo Lima defeated Ronnie Mann via unanimous decision, with all the judges scoring the fight 30-27 for Lima. It was a good opening-card bout with quite a bit of action from both of the fighters but there’s no question Lima deserved to win the decision over Mann, who was making his Bellator bantamweight debut. Lima closed at +120, while Mann closed at -130.
