Beating the Books: UFC on ESPN 3

UFC on ESPN 3 turned out to be a terrific card full of exciting knockouts and standout performances on Saturday at the Target Center in Minneapolis. However, most of the fights went as expected, with 10 of the 12 betting favorites emerging victorious. The two underdogs who sprang upsets supply the material for this installment of Beating the Books.

Vinc Pichel (+205)

Pichel upended Roosevelt Roberts by unanimous decision in a three-round lightweight showcase. Considering that Pichel is 36 and Roberts just 25 -- not to mention the fact that Roberts was undefeated entering the bout -- it made sense that Pichel was the underdog. However, he proved detractors wrong with one of his better performances inside the Octagon. After Roberts took the first round with his grappling, Pichel started to take over in the second. Roberts fatigued as the fight went on, while Pichel seemed to get stronger. He closed out the middle frame in a dominant position, and it was all one-way traffic in the third, where Pichel controlled Roberts with his wrestling. The win moved Pichel to 5-2 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the biggest underdog on the card to cash, closing at +205 odds.

Amanda Ribas (+155)

Ribas put together an excellent promotional debut with a second-round submission of Emily Whitmire in a preliminary pairing at 115 pounds. Despite not having fought since 2016 due to issues with the United States Anti-Doping Agency, Ribas looked phenomenal and showed absolutely no signs of cage rust. She controlled Whitmire in the grappling department in the first round, and while she did not secure the finish, Ribas established her superiority. Round 2 provided more of the same, as Ribas managed to get Whitmire to the mat and close the deal with a rear-naked choke. The fact that Whitmire was coming off of a dominant stoppage victory of Aleksandra Albu in which she set the record for fastest submission in women’s strawweight history made Ribas’ effort all the more impressive impressive. The 25-year-old Ribas moved to 7-1 overall in her MMA career and cashed as a +155 underdog.

Adam Martin is a mixed martial arts journalist who has been covering the sport since 2011. He is currently the lead odds analyst for Sherdog.com, as well as the lead staff writer for MMAOddsbreaker.com. Adam is also the co-host of “The Parting Shot Podcast” on iTunes. His favorite fight of all-time is Dan Henderson-Mauricio Rua, and he wishes Pride Fighting Championships never died. Adam is based out of Toronto, and he is a graduate of the University of Toronto and Centennial College. Get in touch with him on Twitter at @MMAdamMartin.