Beating The Books: UFC Fight Night 138

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It was upset central at UFC Fight Night 138. There were 13 fights on the card and five underdogs came through for the win, making for a night of very unexpected results. Here are the five fighters who Beat the Books at UFC Moncton.

Anthony Smith (+140)

There were a number of underdogs to win at UFC Moncton, but the most significant was Smith, who finished Volkan Oezdemir in the third round of the main event. Smith has looked amazing at 205 pounds, going 3-0 with knockout wins over Rashad Evans and Mauricio Rua and now this submission win over Oezdemir. He called for a title shot, and he may get it. For now, he’ll settle for coming through for his backers as a +140 underdog.

Court McGee (+205)

In a battle of veteran welterweights that went the distance, McGee was able to edge out a unanimous decision over Alex Garcia. As in most of his fights, Garcia started off strong, but gassed out and was susceptible in the later rounds, where McGee took advantage with his superior stamina. McGee came through as a +205 underdog.

Sean Strickland (+100)

Welterweights Strickland and Nordine Taleb put on a show for the fans as both men traded strikes on the feet until Strickland was able to knock Taleb down in the second round and finish him via TKO on the ground. Despite being the younger, rangier, and more well-rounded fighter, Strickland closed as the underdog for this fight. That turned out to be a boon for anyone who backed him, as Strickland ended up being an easy winner, scoring the upset at +100 odds.

Talita Bernardo (+150)

In a forgettable women’s bantamweight bout, Bernardo finally picked up her first win in the Octagon with a decision nod over Sarah Moras. The Brazilian dropped fights to Marion Reneau and Irene Aldana in her first two UFC outings and the oddsmakers pegged her as the underdog to Moras, who was coming off of a submission win over Ashlee Evans-Smith. But we all know styles make fights and Bernardo was able to use her takedowns and exploit Moras on the ground as she won a clear decision. Bernardo cashed out as a +150 underdog.

Don Madge (+360)

One of the most impressive performances on the card came from an unexpected source as UFC newcomer Madge put on an incredible show for the fans with a brutal second-round KO win over Te’ Edwards. The South African lightweight showed off slick submission skills in the first round and it looked as though he was about to score an armbar finish, but Edwards was able to tough it out. Edwards wasn’t tough enough, however, to survive a devastating head kick just 14 seconds into the second round, and Madge scored what is likely to be the first of many knockouts for him inside the Octagon. Madge looked amazing and proved all the bettors wrong as the action in this fight was one-sided in Edwards’ favor. In a big upset, Madge cashed at +360 odds.

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 vs. “Shogun” Rua and he wishes Pride never died. Adam is based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and he is a graduate of the University of Toronto and Centennial College. Get in touch with him on Twitter @MMAdamMartin.

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