Machida’s Karate Makes Oddmakers Look Brilliant
If you bet on MMA and floundered Saturday’s event held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas, in case you haven’t heard by now, you missed a remarkable Octagon sports betting spectacle. The main event was a historic light heavyweight championship bout, which made for the first time in the sport’s history two fighters battled for the division’s crown with both contenders being undefeated.
So when the Octagon’s door closed, fans betting UFC online knew when the door re-opened one of the two would exit with his first career loss. For many MMA wagering fans, it came as a shock that challenger Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida was being installed the betting favorite over the champion, Rashad ”Sugar” Evans. It raised the daunting question: Was Machida being over priced and receiving too much respect from oddsmakers? It was a question that would be answered in the second round.
Rashad ”Sugar” Evans vs. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
By way of replacement, undefeated champion Evans put his title on the line against unbeaten contender Machida, who stepped in for the recovering Quinton ”Rampage” Jackson. Despite being the challenger, Machida was the man getting oddsmakers respect. He went off the board at BetUS UFC odds at -200; Evans +150. If you bet on UFC, you may have been one of thousands who dumped money on the champion leading up to fight time.
Evans took a record of 18-0-1 into the scheduled five-round championship fight, while Machida toted a perfect 14-0 mark into the Octagon. With a combined 32-0-1 record, it was the first time in UFC history a light heavyweight belt was contended for, featuring unbeaten fighters vying for the 205-pound title.
With 1:30 left in the second round, Machida hurt Evans with a straight left to the head that sent him to the ground. Surprisingly, Evans got up and fought back on heart, trying to get back into the match, but Machida’s accuracy was too much for the champion to withstand. After a devastating overhand right delivered by
Machida followed by a left hook, Evans was put down for good that forced referee Mario Yamasaki to halt the bout at 3:57 of Round 2, and online UFC betting fans supporting Evans saw their wagers become a bust.
It was Evans’ first career lost, as Karate master Machida remains unbeaten at 15-0, including a 7-0 UFC record that’s deemed him new boss in the light heavyweight class while making oddsmakers look brilliant. Evans falls to 18-1-1.
Your next chance to cash in on action inside the Octagon comes on Saturday, June 13 at UFC 99: The Comeback, as UFC invades Germany for the first time. The main event pits former UFC middleweight champion Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin against former PRIDE champion Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva.
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