UFC Fight Night 89 took place last night (Saturday, June 18, 2016) at the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and was headlined by a welterweight bout between Rory MacDonald and Stephen Thompson. Overall from a betting perspective, seven favorites won while four underdogs came through, there was one pick ’em and one fight ended in a draw according to the closing odds at Several Bookmakers. Here’s a quick recap for each bout. Favorites That Won In the main event of the evening, Stephen Thompson and Rory MacDonald put on a welterweight chess match, but it was Thompson who befuddled MacDonald with brilliant footwork and striking. Thompson showcased incredibly fast hands and feet, flustering MacDonald en route to easily winning a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47). Thompson was a -108 (Bet $108 to win $100) favorite while MacDonald was a -102 (Bet $102 to win $100) underdog. In a welterweight battle, Donald Cerrone put on one of the best performances of his career, dropping Patrick Cote three times en route to picking up a third round TKO victory. Cerrone set the pace early with a couple takedowns and then hammered Cote’s legs with low kicks before going high with left hands to set up the knockdowns. Cerrone came through as a -165 favorite while Cote lost as a +155 dog. In a light heavyweight contest, Steve Bosse was nearly put out in the first round by Sean O’Connell, but the Canadian’s superior conditioning and pace allowed him to get back into the fight as both men tore into each other with huge strikes over the course of three violent and extremely entertaining rounds. The judges felt Bosse won the final two frames and awarded him the unanimous decision as a -130 favorite while O’Connell lost at +120. In a lightweight scrap, Olivier Aubin-Mercier survived a first round scare against Thibault Gauti, picking up several takedowns and eventually wearing Gauti down en route to a third round rear naked choke submission victory. Aubin Mercier came through as a hefty -450 favorite while Gauti was +400. In a lightweight fight, Jason Saggo and Leandro Silva had an incredibly even scrap. Saggo picked up a takedown and spent most of the first round in top position, but Silva picked up the pace in the second frame, closing it with a takedown. In the final round, Saggo turned up the heat in the stand-up portion, but Silva finished the final 30 seconds in top position. It was a nailbiter but the judges went with Saggo via split decision. Saggo was victorious as a -110 favorite while Silva was +100. In a light heavyweight bout, Misha Cirkunov showcased improved striking against UFC newcomer and dangerous slugger Ion Cutelaba. Cirkunov landed big left hands throughout the fight but it was a third round takedown which led to an arm triangle choke and a submission victory. Cirkunov closed as a -210 favorite while Cutelaba was a +190 underdog. In a bantamweight battle, Joe Soto survived an early scare against Chris Beal, eventually taking over in the middle of the second round as Beal faded and he forced a tap in the third. Soto won at -120 while Beal was a +110 dog. In a middleweight contest, Elias Theodorou outpaced Sam Alvey to win a decision. Alvey simply couldn’t pull the trigger and even though he was the more dangerous striker, he allowed Theodorou to push the action, outlanding him at least 3-1. Theodorou was -225 while Alvey was +205. In a strawweight fight, Randa Markos and Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger put on an exciting three round battle. Lybarger was game, but Markos pushed a high pace and picked up some takedowns en route to winning two rounds and a unanimous decision. Markos was victorious as a slight -110 favorite while Jones-Lybarger was +100. In a welterweight contest, Colby Covington utilized his superior wrestling and top control to wear UFC newcomer Jonathan Meunier down, eventually picking up a submission in the third round. Covington held serve as a -225 favorite while Meunier was a +205 underdog. In the opening bout of the evening, flyweights Ali Bagautinov and Geane Herrera put on an entertaining spectacle. Bagautinov destroyed Herrera both standing and with ground and pound, but Herrera repeatedly threatened off his back with submission attempts, nearly finishing the fight late with a Kimura, but he couldn’t quite get the tap as Bagautinov won the decision. Bagautinov closed as a -250 betting favorite while Herrera was +230. Underdogs That Won In a women’s flyweight contest, Joanne Calderwood and Valerie Letourneau went to war. Calderwood dropped Letourneau with a spinning backfist in the first round and picked up a couple takedowns, but just when it seemed like Letourneau was getting back into the fight, Calderwood crippled her with some brutal kicks to the body which forced the Canadian to turn away from the action and set up a TKO. Calderwood was a +135 underdog while Letaourneau lost as a -145 favorite. In a middleweight bout, Krzysztof Jotko pulled off the biggest victory of his career by knocking out Tamden McCrory quickly in the first round. It only lasted a minute, but McCrory was dropped by a short left hand and Jotko put him away with strikes on the ground. Jotko was victorious as a +155 underdog while McCrory came up short at -165.
