The UFC returned to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for what became their third most significant event in UFC history, and the matchups lived up to their expectations with a night filled with exciting clashes, including a trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, which ended with an unpredictable fashion. Please continue reading for our UFC 264 pay-per-view recap, including the biggest upsets, our fight of the night and a complete list of results and their UFC odds.
Former title challenger Gilbert Burns returned to the octagon in style – with a decisive unanimous decision victory against one of the welterweight division’s most imposing strikers.
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson opened as the betting underdog, but the betting public quickly pounced on his odds to close at -172. The bookmakers’ opening odds favoring Gilbert Burns enticed bettors into the wrong position. A wrestling-based offense favored the Brazilian as he finished the fight winning on all three judges’ scorecards.
If you read our UFC 264 perfect parlay article here at Bookmakers Review, you’d be happily counting your profits from the weekend as the knockout power of Tai Tuivasa was too much for former NFL player Greg Hardy to handle, and McGregor/Poirier didn’t surpass the first round.
Climbing the cage after his first-round KO, the Nelk Boys handed Tuivasa the all-important “shoey” to produce the greatest post-fight celebration in the UFC – an alcoholic beverage drank straight from somebody’s else’s shoe.
The events Fight of the Night bonus was boosted from 50k up to $75,000 – great timing for the lone UFC debutant of the night, Kris Moutinho.
Despite receiving over 220 significant strikes through his contest, Moutinho’s toughness gave UFC President Dana White no choice but to reward Sean O’Malley and Kris Moutinho with Fight of the Night honors.
Next week we are gifted with Russian prospect Islam Makhachev making his return to the UFC octagon, hoping to walk in the footsteps of his good friend and coach Khabib Nurmagomedov by raising his UFC lightweight rankings. He will face #14 ranked Thiago Moises. Take it into consideration for your UFC picks.
UFC in Vegas 31 takes place at the UFC Apex Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada and Bookmakers Review will have all your analysis & betting requirements covered.
Islam Makhachev vs. Thiago Moises
Mateusz Gamrot vs. Jeremy Stephens