...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By Matt Pelkey, MMATorch Columnist A fantastic night of fights at UFC 95 didn't crown any new champions in the Ultimate Fighting Championships, but it did help us crown a new one of our own here at the Torch. At long last the tyrannical reign of Gavin "The Juggernaut" Byrne is over. Number one contender Brian Fuller was able to best Byrne 7-3 to 6-4 to claim the Prediction Championship.
On the betting side, reigning and defending champ Chris Gawn had a mediocre night, finishing just below even, but it was plenty to take down his challenger Overkill, who only managed a $200 bet on heavy favorite Diego Sanchez.
One man ruled the day in both pools, and his name is Rich Boles. He went a fantastic 9-1 on his picks and nearly doubled his money on his bets. No one has ever successfully won both titles in one contest, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. In what seems like a drawn-out pro wrestling fued, Boles will once again do battle for the Betting title with nemesis Chris Gawn. In predictions, he'll battle longtime competitor and multiple time champ Brian Fuller. It'll all happen in just a couple short weeks at UFC 96 in Columbus, OH, my home away from home. The results were as follows:
PREDICTION POOL:
Rich Boles 9-1
Scott Hart 7-3
Jamie Penick 7-3
Overkill 6-4
Chris Gawn 6-4
Tower 5-5
Matt Pelkey 5-5
Kubi 4-6
Frank Hyden 4-6
Nick Underwood 3-7
BETTING POOL:
Rich Boles- $500 on Hardy for $1000
$200 on dos Santos for $268.97
$300 on Dunham for $720
Total Payout: $1988.97
Gavin Byrne- $500 on Maia for $685.19
$400 on dos Santos for $537.93
Total Payout: $1223.12
Brian Fuller- $300 on Ciesnolevicz for $560.87
$100 on Thiago for $450
Total Payout: $1010.87
Antonio Bruzzese- $500 on Sanchez for $669.49
$200 on Maia for $274.07
Total Payout: $943.56
Scott Hart- $300 on Ciesnolevicz for $560.87
$100 on Sanchez for $133.90
Total Payout: $694.77
Tower- $300 on Etim for $425
$200 on Sanchez for $267.80
Total Payout: $692.80
Vu Van- $500 on Sanchez for $669.49
Total Payout: $669.49
Adam Fabbro- $500 on Kelly for $653.85
Total Payout: $653.85
Nick Underwood- $100 on Marquardt for $130.77
$300 on dos Santos for $403.45
Total Payout: $534.22
Kubi- $200 on Dunham for $480
Total Payout: $480
MRich- $300 on Maia for $411.11
Total Payout: $411.11
Stephen Legaree- $300 on Sanchez for $401.69
Total Payout: $401.69
Matt Pelkey- $0
PERFORMER OF THE NIGHT:
This was an easy call. Rich Boles lapped the field in both contests, so he gets the nod. Honorable Mention to Brian Fuller who took out longtime champ Gavin Byrne and was one of only three to turn a profit in the betting contest.
GOAT OF THE NIGHT:
This was a slightly tougher call at first as we had a couple of competitors who were under .500 on the predictions and lost the majority of their money, but in the end it was obvious. The Goat of the Night is your's truly. I'm giving myself this (dis)honor as sort of a Lifetime (lack of) Achievement Award. I went 5-5 and was the only participant to put up the goose egg in the betting contest. It continues a long trend of mediocrity, but hey, there's a new contest in a couple weeks. Til then...
DON'T GO YET... WE SUGGEST THESE MMATORCH ARTICLES, TOO!
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
Interested in joining MMATorch's writing team? Send idea for a theme to your column (for Specialist section) or area of interest (i.e. TV Reporter) along with a sample of writing to mmatorch@gmail.com.
