UFC 73 offered some great fights, and also a lot of missed opportunities for some fighters. Overall I think it was a great night, and the favorites definitely dominated, which I wasn’t prepared for. The underdogs have been doing very good lately in the UFC matches, but this time around it was a totally different ballgame. I really didn’t know enough about the fighters on the undercard to make any good wagers, so I stayed away and bet on the main bouts.
Favorites – 7 wins, 1 draw
Underdogs – 0 wins, 1 draw
Nate Marquadt (+130) vs. Anderson Silva(W) (-160)
Anderson Silva won this bout by technical knockout in the first round. Marquadt really looked outclassed from the beginning.
Tito Ortiz (-130) vs. Rashad Evans odds (+100) – DRAW
Rashad made a great push towards the end of the fight to give himself a chance, but Tito really controlled the first two rounds. Im assuming this was the biggest fight to bet on, and Im sure the action on it was huge especially with the line being pretty even on this match.
Sean Sherk (W) (-220) vs. Hermes Franca (+180)
Sean Sherk wins in 5 rounds by unanimous decision. Franca really fought well in this bout, but Sherk was too much for him. The books prolly took a decent hit on this match with a slightly big favorite winning.
Heath Herring (+500) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (W) (-700)
Herring almost ended this match in the first round, which would have been a HUGE upset. Nog bettors had to have been shitting their pants after that close call. The books probably actually didn’t get hurt too bad on this fight since most of them have limits on UFC fights, and with a -700 favorite, you can’t win much with small limits.
Kenny Florian (W) (-300) vs. Alvin Robinson (+220)
I really don’t know much about either of these fighters, so this was a great fight for me to watch and learn a bit. Florian was impressive and the odds on this match were pretty accurate considering how it ended up.
Stephan Bonnar (W) (-450) vs. Mike Nickels (+325)
Stephan Bonnar kind of holds a special place in my mind, since the first fight I ever watched was the amazing Bonnar/Griffin bout for a UFC spot. God that fight was amazing. I was hooked on UFC after that…. Anyways this fight was pretty quick with Bonnar winning with a rear naked choke in the first round.
Jorge Gurgel (W) (-260) vs. Diego Saraieva (+200)
Another fave winning via unanimous decision….
Frank Edgar (W) (-300) vs. Mark Bocek (+220)
Edgar wins via technical knockout in the first round.
