Bellator 178 took place Friday night (April 21, 2017) in Uncasville, Connecticut. Overall from a betting perspective, one underdog was able to play the role of spoiler while three favorites were victorious based on the closing odds at Several Bookmakers.
Here’s a quick recap for each fight…
Favorites That Won Ilima-Lei MacFarlane kept her unblemished record intact, earning a quick win over Jessica Middleton. “The Ilimanator” sunk in an armlock just past the two-minute mark of the first round to earn her seventh career victory. MacFarlane shined as a -475 favorite while Middleton suffered the first setback of her career as a +420 underdog.
Saad Awad snapped a two-fight skid as he earned a unanimous-decision victory over Ryan Quinn. The Millennia MMA product used his superior striking to take home a victory on the judges’ scorecards. Awad got back in the win column as a -330 favorite while American Top Team product Quinn didn’t pull it off as a +300 underdog.
Opening up the main card, featherweight A.J. McKee delivered one of the best highlight-reel finishes this year. The 20-year-old needed just one minute and 15 seconds in the first round to deliver a head-kick knockout on promotional newcomer Dominic Mazzotta. McKee cashed as a -460 favorite while Mazzotta couldn’t get it done as a +410 underdog.
This headkick knockout keeps @AJMcKeeJr undefeated!!
We invite you to @spike right now for #Bellator178! pic.twitter.com/XSDnCb8aeQ
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 22, 2017
Underdog That Won
In the evening’s headliner, Patricio Freire recaptured the Bellator featherweight title with a submission win over Daniel Straus. After being down on the judges’ scorecards in the first round, Straus came out strong and shot for a takedown, which proved to be a costly mistake in the fight. “Pitbull” was able to jump on the ATT product and sink in a fight-ending guillotine choke at the 37-second mark of the second round. Freire came through as a +155 underdog while Straus endured another setback as the -165 favorite.
