Beating the Books: UFC Fight Night 150

UFC Fight Night 150 on Saturday turned into an Ultimate Fighting Championship event full of surprises, as four underdogs pulled off upsets, three on the main card alone. Those four fighters supply the material for this installment of Beating the Books.

Jack Hermansson (+185)

The headliner saw Hermansson spring a surprising upset over a top middleweight contender, as he took a unanimous decision from Ronaldo Souza at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. This was one of the better fights of the year and went down to the bitter end, but Hermansson’s striking acumen and his work on the ground netted him a hard-fought victory over the durable and respected veteran. It provides a massive boost for his career and should set up Hermansson for another big name at 185 pounds the next time he enters the cage. He closed as a +185 underdog.

Mike Perry (+145)

In the “Fight of the Night,” Perry captured a competitive unanimous decision from Alex Oliveira at 170 pounds. Although “Cowboy” started the fight strong and won the first round, Perry showed improvements in his overall game -- especially in the cardio department -- by winning the second and third rounds to claim a hard-earned decision. It was a significant step forward for Perry, and since the UFC appears to enjoy what he brings to the table, he will likely be fighting a Top 15 opponent when he steps into the Octagon again. Perry closed as a +135 underdog.

Cory Sandhagen (+135)

One of the more notable upsets on the card saw Sandhagen emerge as a bona fide bantamweight contender with a split decision over John Lineker. After what was an incredibly close fight that could have gone either way on the scorecards, two of the judges sided with Sandhagen. His striking advantage ultimately decided the outcome, as he outlanded Lineker in terms of volume to offset the Brazilian’s edge in power. The odds on Sandhagen pulling off the upset were +135.

Dhiego Lima (+130)

Lima opened the show by escaping with a split decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 winner Court McGee. It remained competitive for the full 15 minutes, but Lima got the job done and now sports his first two-fight winning streak inside the Octagon. Outside of getting knocked down with less than 10 seconds to go in the third round, Lima managed to exploit his advantages in the standup department. The odds on Lima winning were +130.

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.