UFC Fight Night 90 took place last night (Thursday, July 7, 2016) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was headlined by a lightweight title bout between champion Rafael dos Anjos and challenger Eddie Alvarez. Overall from a betting perspective, eight favorites won while four underdogs came through according to the closing odds at Several Bookmakers. Here’s a quick recap for each bout. Favorites That Won In a welterweight scrap, Alan Jouban knocked UFC newcomer Belan Muhammad down three times in the first two rounds, but couldn’t put him away. Muhammad came out guns blazing in the third, putting Jouban on the ropes a couple times, but couldn’t force a finish as Jouban walked away with a decision. Jouban came through as a -140 (Bet $140 to win $100) favorite while Muhammad was a +130 (Bet $100 to win $130) underdog. In a lightweight fight, Joseph Duffy made extremely quick work of Mitch Clarke. Duffy connected with a big right hand which hurt Clarke, then pounced with punches before locking in a rear naked choke to force the tap. Duffy was victorious as a big -440 favorite while Clarke was +390. In a lightweight bout, John Makdessi survived a big scare against Mehdi Baghdad. Baghdad controlled the first round, but was flat in the second and with the fight likely tied, Baghdad nearly finished Makdessi early in the third with some huge shots. Instead of going for the kill, Baghdad inexplicably dropped for a flying armbar and gave up top position, eventually fading and giving the judges room to hand Makdessi a split decision. Makdessi closed as a -125 favorite while Baghdad was a +115 underdog. In a bantamweight battle, Anthony Birchak overcame several early takedowns from Dileno Lopes, eventually forcing the Brazilian into a stand-up fight where both men rocked each other with big shots. Birchak was able to get the better of the exchanges, however, and won a split decision. Birchak won at -240 while Lopes was a +220 dog. In a bantamweight war, Russell Doane and Pedro Munhoz threw down in the first round, landing huge shots against each other and doing serious damage. A cut was opened up for Munhoz, but he was able to drag the fight to the canvas and finish Doane with a beautiful guillotine choke in the first round. Munhoz was -230 while Doane was +210. In a bantamweight fight, Jerrod Sanders was working his wrestling game perfectly against Felipe Arantes, but he made a mistake and allowed Arantes to wrap up an arm from guard, forcing a quick tap in the second round. Arantes was victorious as a slight -150 favorite while Sanders was +140. In a lightweight contest, Gilbert Burns showcased improved stand-up skills against Lucasz Sajewski, rocking the Polish fighter near the end of the first round, then pouncing into top position before forcing a tap in the waning seconds via armbar. Burns held serve as a -255 favorite while Sajewski was a +235 underdog. In the opening bout of the evening, welterweights Vicente Luque and Alvaro Herrera put on a show. Herrera held his own in the stand-up with some heavy punches, but Luque mixed things up well and was able to take control with his ground game, eventually finishing Herrera with a D’Arce choke in the second round. Luque closed as a -360 betting favorite while Herrera was +325. Underdogs That Won In the main event of the evening, Eddie Alvarez dethroned UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. Alvarez connected with a sharp right hook to the chin which hurt dos Anjos badly, then swarmed with a full minute of insane punches. Dos Anjos didn’t go down, but he was out on his feet and the referee put a halt to the action, crowing Alvarez the new champion of the world. Alvarez was a +255 underdog while dos Anjos lost as a -280 favorite. In a heavyweight co-main event, Derrick Lewis did serious damage to Roy Nelson in the first round, but was staggered by a leg kick in the second and was repeatedly taken down in the final two rounds. Lewis landed a few big punches at the end of the third, but Nelson seemed to have the fight locked up. Instead, the judges sided with Lewis via split decision and were rained with a chorus of boos. Lewis won as a +115 underdog while Nelson was hosed at -125. In a welterweight bout, Alberto Mina nearly finished Mike Pyle in the first round with a huge barrage of punches, then removed all doubt in the second frame with a flying knee to put the veteran down for the count. Mina was victorious as a +110 underdog while Pyle came up short at -120. In a bantamweight bought, Marco Beltran and Reginaldo Vieira had a very competitive scrap. Beltran controlled the opening round, but Vieira fired back in the second with increased aggression, but when Vieira couldn’t get things going from top position on the ground, Beltran blasted him with a pair of up-kicks and then pounced with a rear naked choke to finish it. Beltran was +110 while Vieira was -120.
