UFC 265 took place Saturday, August 7, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Houston, Texas. The card was headlined by a heavyweight bout between Cyril Gane and Derrick Lewis.
Closing odds are courtesy of one of the most popular Las Vegas based sportsbooks Circa Sports. Here’s a quick recap of each of those fights.
Favorites that Won
In the main event of the evening, Cyril Gane picked apart Derrick Lewis over the course of three rounds while deftly avoiding the big bombs Lewis was throwing. Eventually, Gane overwhelmed Lewis and put him away with strikes in the third round. Gane was -320 while Lewis was +250
Tecia Torres showcased her superior speed, technique and striking output while fending off the occasional takedown attempt from a game Angela Hill to earn a unanimous decision victory. Torres was -170 while Hill was +150
In the Fight of the Night, Rafael Fiziev showcased his superior striking skills against a game Bobby Green in a thoroughly entertaining three-round slugfest. Fiziev was -170 while Green was +150
Alonzo Menifield utilized his superior speed, length and power to outstrike Ed Herman over the course of three rounds and win a one-sided decision. Menifield was -280 while Herman was +235
Nearing the end of the first round, Manel Kape threw a perfectly timed jumping knee that caught Ode Osbourne on the chin to set up a first round TKO victory. Kape was -215 while Osbourne was +185
Miles Johns thoroughly outstruck Anderson dos Santos, eventually knocking dos Santos out cold with a stiff right hand in the third round. Johns was -235 while dos Santos was +200
Melissa Gatto shook off three years worth of rust and pummeled Victoria Leonardo via second round TKO to earn a victory in her UFC debut. Gatto was -120 was while Leonardo was +100
In the opening bout of the evening, Johnny Munoz Jr. did what he does best, which is utilize his superior ground game to submit an overmatched Jeremy Simmons in the second round. Munoz Jr. was -325 while Simmons was +270
Underdogs that Won
Michael Chiesa landed a few decent strikes on the feet, then took the fight to the floor, where he aggressively looked for a rear naked choke, but Vicente Luque turned the tides on him by wrapping Chiesa in a D’Arce choke and forcing a shocking tapout in the first round. Luque was -101 while Chiesa was -119
Casey Kenney pushed forward aggressively, but 23-year-old Song Yadong utilized superior striking technique, mixing up to the head and body to earn a split decision victory. Yadong was +115 while Kenney was -135
Vince Morales kept the fight standing and did enough on the feet to outpoint Drako Rodriguez and win a unanimous decision. Morales was +105 while Rodriguez was -125
Jessica Penne latched onto an armbar against Karolina Kowalkiewicz and didn’t let go, eventually forcing the Polish fighter to submit in the first round. Penne was +129 while Kowalkiewicz was -149
Pick ’em Fights
Jose Aldo expertly checked all of Pedro Munhoz’s calf kicks and dished out some heavy boxing combinations while mixing in a nasty jab to earn an impressive unanimous decision victory and put himself back in title contention. Both fighters closed at pick’em -110.
