UFC on FUEL TV 9 was yet another up-and-down night for MMA bettors, as some heavy favorites failed to win while some big-time underdogs cashed for those brave enough to lay money down on them. In total, 11 betting favorites came through, while only two underdogs won. Here’s a betting recap for the event based on the closing MMA odds: UFC BETTING FAVORITES THAT WON In the main event of the evening, Gegard Mousasi defeated Ilir Latifi via unanimous decision, all judges scoring it 30-27 in favor of Mousasi. It was one of the most boring main events in UFC history, with Mousasi stalking his opponent the entire time but never going for the kill. However, Mousasi admitted in the post-fight interview that he was sick and injured coming into the fight, which may have played a part in his ultra-conservative performance. Mousasi closed as a -710 favorite (bet $710 to win $100), while Latifi closed as a +575 underdog (bet $100 to win $575). In the co-main event of the evening, lightweight Ross Pearson lit up Ryan Couture with a beautiful combination of brutal punches, TKOing Randy’s son in the second round. It was a gigantic win for Pearson, who has now won two-straight fights via TKO since returning to the lightweight division. As for Couture, his grappling and side-to-side movement were impressive in the first round, but ultimately it was his chin that failed him as he took too many power shots and went down for the count. Pearson closed as a -340 favorite, while Couture closed as a +310 underdog. In a heavyweight bout, Matt Mitrione returned to the win column with a quick knockout victory over the overmatched Phil De Fries. It appeared as though De Fries simply walked into Mitrione and got knocked out that way, but upon further review it seemed as though a short shot to behind his temple was what knocked him out. Mitrione closed at -250, with De Fries closing at +230. In a bantamweight scrap that won “Fight of the Night,” Brad Pickett and Mike Easton battled three hard rounds to a split decision, with Pickett getting the judges’ nod. Two judges scored it 30-27 for Pickett, while one had it for Easton 29-28. This was an excellent fight and both men definitely deserved their bonus check. Pickett — who was The MMA Oddscast’s big play of the night — closed at -145, while Easton closed at +135. In a featherweight fight, Diego Brandao submitted Pablo Garza with an impressive arm-triangle choke in the first round. It was a terrific win for Brandao, who is trying to climb his way back up the 145-pound ladder after his setback to Darren Elkins last May at UFC 146. Brandao closed at -220 over Garza, while Garza closed at +200. In a welterweight bout, Adlan Amagov outpointed Chris Spang to win a unanimous decision victory with all three judges scoring it 30-27 for him. It wasn’t the most exciting fight in the world, but Amagov got the job done with his sneaky leg kicks. Amagov closed at -190, with Spang closing at +175. In a featherweight bout, Conor McGregor made his UFC debut a memorable day as he knocked out Marcus Brimage in the first round with a brutal combination of punches. The Irishman McGregor came into the UFC with an incredible amount of hype behind him and this was a big victory for him. McGregor closed at -150, while Brimage closed at +140. In a welterweight bout, Ryan LaFlare dominated Ben Alloway over three rounds to cruise to a unanimous decision win. LaFlare’s wrestling looked great in the fight, but he needs to work on his submissions. LaFlare closed at -260, while Alloway closed at +240. In a middleweight bout, Tor Troeng defeated Adam Cella via first-round submission (rear-naked choke) in his UFC debut. It was a good performance by Troeng, who failed to win on TUF season 17. As for Cella, it’s likely he will be released now. Troeng closed at -240, while Cella closed at +220. In another middleweight bout, Tom Lawlor overcame a dominant first round by Michael Kuiper to sink in a guillotine choke during a takedown attempt in the second round and win the fight. It was a tremendous comeback by Lawlor, who appeared to injure his knee in the first, and was the front-runner for “Submission of the Night” until Madadi defeated Johnson. Lawlor closed at -135, while Kuiper closed at +125. And in a welterweight bout that kicked off the evening, Papy Abedi won a very close split decision over Besam Yousef. Most fans and media members scored the fight 29-28 for Yousef, but two judges saw it 29-28 for Abedi and he got the win. Abedi closed at -120, while Yousef closed at +110. UFC BETTING UNDERDOGS THAT WON The biggest underdog on the night to cash was Akira Corassani, who delivered a surprisingly good performance against Robbie Peralta, who looked very flat. Corassani controlled the fight against the cage and controlled the striking distance enough over the course of three rounds to get a clear unanimous decision. Corassani cashed out at +420, while Peralta fell as a huge -475 favorite. Another big underdog to come through was Reza Madadi, who defeated Michael Johnson via third-round submission (D’arce choke) in one of the best fights of the night. It was a tremendous comeback by Madadi, who survived a brutal head kick knockdown in the first round to come back and outwrestle Johnson until he sunk in the submission. Madadi closed at +260, while Johnson closed at -290.
