There were a number of unexpected results at UFC Fight Night 147 on Saturday in London, and whenever that happens, the prop bettors are out there licking their chops while waiting to cash their tickets. These are the five biggest prop bets to cash when the Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the O2 Arena:
Jorge Masvidal Wins in Round 2 (+1250)
The main event saw Masvidal suffer a knockdown in the first round, only to come back in the second to viciously finish hometown hero Darren Till with punches, knocking him out cold in front of his fellow countrymen. It was the most significant win of Masvidal’s UFC run and arguably the most important of his entire MMA career. The prop on Masvidal winning by knockout cashed at +535, but even bigger was the prop on his winning in the second round, which hit at an outstanding +1250 number.
Claudio Henrique da Silva Wins in Round 3 (+975)
One of the more exciting fights on the card was a back-and-forth welterweight battle between Henrique da Silva and Danny Roberts. Both men had their moments on the feet and on the mat, but Silva saw his hand raised with a late third-round verbal submission due to armbar. There was some controversy with the finish, as Roberts did not actually tap out but instead yelled out in pain. However, referee Kevin Sataki deemed it a verbal submission and stopped the fight. Surprisingly, this was not the “Fight of the Night,” as that post-fight bonus went to the participants in the main event. The prop on Henrique da Silva winning in the third round hit at +975.
Saparbek Safarov Wins by Decision (+600)
It was not the way anyone would have drawn up the fight, but Safarov picked up the first win of his UFC career with a unanimous decision over Nicolae Negumereanu in a light heavyweight prelim. Considering that all of Safarov’s previous bouts had ended inside the distance, win or lose, it was surprising to see him resort to a takedown-heavy game plan against Negumereanu. Clearly, he just wanted to get his hand raised and snap his two-fight losing skid inside the Octagon. The prop on Safarov winning a decision hit at +600 odds.
Dan Ige Wins in Round 1 (+525)
One of the “Performance of the Night” bonuses was awarded to Ige, who knocked down Danny Henry and then followed him to the ground and finished him with a rear-naked choke a little more than a minute into their preliminary featherweight affair. The odds for this fight were close, with Ige as a -140 betting favorite, but the bout turned into a blowout. The prop on Ige winning by submission hit at +350, but even better was the prop on his winning in the first round at +525.
Mike Grundy Wins by TKO (+1250)
No one will call Grundy a one-dimensional submission expert anymore, not after he ran through Nad Narimani in their undercard clash at 145 pounds. Grundy exhibited an excellent striking attack that culminated in his knocking down Narimani late in the second round and then finishing his durable opponent with a standing TKO after he swarmed him with punches. The prop on Grundy winning in the second round cashed at large +950 odds, but one of the biggest prop bets of the event to hit was Grundy winning by TKO at +1250. Considering it was the first knockout win of his career, the fact that the odds were so wide made sense.
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.