UFC 254 took place Saturday, October 24, 2020 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The card was headlined by a lightweight title bout between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Justin Gaethje.
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, Justin Gaethje did everything he could against lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, but it still wasn’t enough as Nurmagomedov took Gaethje down, advanced to dominant position, then locked in a triangle to choke Gaethje unconscious in the second round. Nurmagomedov was -285 while Gaethje was +240
Alexander Volkov outstruck Walt Harris in the first round, then hurt Harris badly with a kick to the liver, finishing the bout with follow-up strikes along the fence in the second frame. Volkov was -190 while Harris was +165
Phil Hawes made a huge statement in his UFC debut, flooring Jacob Malkoun in just 18 seconds to earn a knockout victory. Hawes was -245 while Malkoun was +210
Lauren Murphy put strong pressure on late replacement opponent Liliya Shakirova early, then ground her out and finished her via rear naked choke in the second round to earn the first submission victory of her career. Murphy was a -240 favorite while Shakirova was +205
There was no controversy this time as Magomed Ankalaev landed a series of sharp blows to hurt Ion Cutelaba, then finish him in the first round. Ankalaev was -350 while Cutelaba was +290
Stefan Struve looked good early against Tai Tuivasa, but he allowed the Aussie to get inside, where Tuivasa connected with a series of heavy blows along the fence to crumple Struve and force a stop to the fight with just one second remaining in the first round. Tuivasa came through as a -138 betting favorite while Struve was +158
In the fight of the night, Casey Kenney and Nathanial Wood both tore into each other with impressive striking displays, but Kenney landed some of the better blows and held superior position as the fight wore on and edged out a decision victory over the Brit. Kenney was a -152 fav while Wood was +132
Alex Oliveira reversed an early takedown attempt from Shavkat Rakhmonov, but then toyed around too long in a clinch exchange, leaving his neck exposed for a jumpguard guillotine attempt, which Rakhmonov latched on to score a first round submission victory. Rakhmonov was -155. Oliveira was +135
Miranda Maverick was known for her ground game, but she put on a striking display against Liana Jojua, piecing up the Georgian and busting open a big cut that forced the doctor to stop the fight between the first and second rounds. Maverick was -400, while Jojua was +325
In the opening bout of the evening, Joel Alvarez made quick work of Yakovlev, latching onto an armbar from bottom to force Yakovlev to tap out in the first round. Alvarez was -190 while Yakovlev was +170
Underdogs that Won
In the co-main event of the evening, Robert Whittaker withstood Jared Cannonier’s brutal leg kicks to outstrike the Alaskan, nearly finishing Cannonier with a barrage in the third round and coasting to a one-sided unanimous decision victory. Whitaker was victorious as a -106 underdog while Cannonier was -114
Draws
Sam Alvey started strong against Da Un Jung, smartly pushing a strong pace and outworking his opponent in the first two rounds, but Jung bounced back in the third round, landing multiple elbows that hurt Alvey and nearly finished the fight on several occasions. In the end, one judge had it for Alvey, one had it for Jung and the final judge had it ruled a draw, making the fight a split draw. Alvey was +280, while Jung was -335
