UFC 235 on Saturday in Las Vegas was full of surprises. One Ultimate Fighting Championship title changed hands in the co-headliner, and the main event nearly saw another crown change hands due to a disqualification. There were also a few notable underdogs who won on the undercard. Overall, there were four upsets at UFC 235, and they provide the nuts and bolts for this edition of Beating the Books.
Kamaru Usman (+165)
The most significant upset came courtesy of Usman, who absolutely dominated Tyron Woodley across all five rounds to become the new undisputed UFC welterweight champion. Usman’s wrestling, cardio and pace were incredible, as he poured on the pressure for 25 minutes, broke Woodley’s spirit and took home the gold. In what was by far the best performance of his career, Usman scored as a +165 underdog. The UFC has already indicated that his first title defense will come against Colby Covington.
Pedro Munhoz (+140)
The opening bout on the main card resulted in a slugfest between two top bantamweight contenders: Munhoz and Cody Garbrandt. Munhoz ended up with his hand raised, as he caught Garbrandt with a right hook and authored the knockout at the end of the first round in what was later awarded “Fight of the Night.” Garbrandt has lost three straight fights by knockout, while Munhoz secured the most significant win of his career and one that could thrust him into a title eliminator at 135 pounds. The odds on Munhoz to win were +140.
Diego Sanchez (+200)
Sanchez put on his best performance in years with a second-round technical knockout of Mickey Gall in their welterweight prelim. Sanchez overcame some heavy shots from Gall early in the first round, weathered the storm and took over with his wrestling and cardio in the second. There, he put Gall on the mat and beat him to a pulp before the referee mercifully rescued him. Sanchez cashed as a +200 underdog.
Hannah Cifers (+240)
Cifers won a close split decision over Polyana Viana in the first UFC Fight Pass prelim. This was probably the most competitive fight on the entire card and the only one to end in a split verdict. Judge Dave Hagen scored it for Viana, but Ron McCarthy and Tony Weeks felt Cifers did enough to win, leading to the American having her hand raised over the Brazilian. “Shockwave” emerged victorious as a +240 underdog.
Adam Martin is a mixed martial arts journalist who has been covering the sport since 2011. He is currently the lead odds analyst for Sherdog.com, as well as the lead staff writer for MMAOddsbreaker.com. Adam is also the co-host of “The Parting Shot Podcast” on iTunes. His favorite fight of all-time is Dan Henderson-Mauricio Rua, and he wishes Pride Fighting Championships never died. Adam is based out of Toronto, and he is a graduate of the University of Toronto and Centennial College. Get in touch with him on Twitter at @MMAdamMartin.