Underdogs Earn More When Winning, While Favored Fighters Lose at UFC 217 Event
Upset after upset occurred in the octagon during UFC 217 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night as all three title matches were captured by the challengers, with two of them being heavy favorites. This marked the first time in the sport's history that there were three new champions.
In total, there were 11 fights, and 8 of them on the undercard were more predictable outcomes, as 6 of these matches followed the top pick's choice. James Vick, a plus-180 contender, secured a technical knockout against Joe Duffy, while Mark Godbeer, at plus-285, emerged victorious when Walt Harris was disqualified due to an illegal head kick.
UFC President Dana White described the event as one of the more successful productions, with a total of 18,201 attendees and higher pay-per-view sales in Canada compared to the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight.
Country Boy Becomes a Champion
The main draw for fans in Canada was the return of Quebec native and former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who was taking on middleweight titleholder Michael Bisping. St-Pierre, 36, had been out of the sport for 4 years and was the favorite to win with odds at minus-130, compared to Bisping's plus-100.
As expected, St-Pierre's skill and experience shone through. In the second round, he connected with a powerful left hook that almost ended the fight, and he secured the victory in the following round with a rear-naked choke.
"It was a dream come true," said an emotional St-Pierre after the fight. "He hurt me pretty badly; I tried to hide it, but I don’t think I’d like to fight him again."
Two More Titles Stolen
The biggest surprise of the night was Joanna Jedrzejczyk's unexpected defeat by Rose Namajunas, nicknamed "Thug." Namajunas secured the strawweight belt in less than 2 minutes, finishing the fight with a left hook. With the odds against her at plus-310, and Jedrzejczyk's favorability at minus-417, this win was truly unexpected.
"It feels like a movie right now," a stunned Namajunas said after her historic victory.
The last significant bout of the evening was between former training partners, with T.J. Dillashaw earning a TKO in the second round to claim back the bantamweight title he had previously won. This outcome was set up by a devastating left hook that knocked out the champion, followed by Dillashaw's immediate attack on the ground with ground and pound until the referee stopped the match.
Dillashaw was a plus-110 pick, while Garbrandt was a minus-150 favorite. The two could potentially face each other again soon.
"Hats off to T.J.," Garbrandt said after his defeat. "He overcame losing his title and was a hungry man. But I believe I'm the better fighter and plan to prove that in the rematch."
Read also:
- Leverkusen claims victory in the cup, securing a double triumph.
- Alonso achieves a double victory after consuming a German brew.
- Does the SVolt factory in Saarland face stability issues?
- Furor surrounding Sylt scandal footage