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Fight Night Liverpool: Fantasy Rewind

 

Darren Till picked up the biggest win of his career as he edged out Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson in a tactical striking battle at the first UFC card in Liverpool, England on Sunday.

While Till is best known for his jaw-rattling power, the British welterweight opted for a more strategic game plan while taking one on of the most diverse and creative strikers in the history of the sport. Till was constantly stalking throughout the fight, and while he wasn't landing many of his best punches, he was keeping Thompson on his heels, unable to get comfortable with his range all night long.

Finally, in the fifth round, after an ultra-close bout throughout, Till finally connected with a big shot that put Thompson down briefly and likely secured the victory in the 25-minute battle.

Despite fighting in his hometown, Till was a sizable underdog going into the fight, with just 33 percent of fantasy players picking him to win. Till still managed to come through with the win as he takes a massive step forward in the deep and dangerous welterweight division.

In the co-main event, Neil Magny made quick work of late notice replacement Craig White with a first-round knockout. Magny blasted White with a devastating knee strike that dropped him to the ground and led to the finish before the first round had expired.

Magny was by far the biggest favorite on the entire card, with an overwhelming 93 percent of fantasy players picking him to get the win in England.

Arnold Allen was another massive favorite, but he had to pull off a miracle third-round comeback to submit Mads Burnell in an exciting matchup on the main card. Arnold was selected by 80 percent of fantasy players, but he had to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat after a strong showing from Burnell.

Makwan Amirkhani came through as an underdog to defeat Jason Knight in a back and forth featherweight battle. Amirkhani was selected by just 35 percent of fantasy players, but "Mr. Finland" used a strong grappling game to stay on top of Knight after surviving a scary first round that nearly ended in a knockout.

The biggest upset of the entire card took place when Claudio Silva returned from nearly four years away from the sport and submitted Nordine Taleb in an emotional victory for the Brazilian. Silva was selected by just 16 percent of fantasy players, but they will definitely enjoy that selection after he also earned them an extra 175 points because he was such a heavy underdog.

Darren Stewart picked up his first UFC win with a stunning knockout against former Ultimate Fighter competitor Eric Spicely with 53 percent of fantasy players picking him to win in the kickoff to the main card.

Tom Breese made quite an impression in his middleweight debut as he took out veteran Australian competitor Daniel Kelly with 68 percent of fantasy players sticking with the British prospect in his first fight at 185 pounds.

Lina Lansberg bounced back from a recent loss to earn a unanimous decision victory over Gina Mazany in a women's bantamweight bout on the preliminary card. Lansberg was a slight favorite going into the fight, with 55 percent of fantasy players picking her to win.

Carlo Pedersoli made an impressive showing in his UFC debut after stepping in on short notice as he defeated Brad Scott after three rounds. Pedersoli may have stepped into the fight at the last minute but he was still the favorite with 58 percent of fantasy players picking him to win. Those players will also enjoy an extra 120-point bonus because it was a close matchup going into the card on Sunday.

Another big upset took place in the women's flyweight division, as Gillian Robertson made short work of Liverpool native Molly McCann with a rear naked choke finish. Robertson was selected by just 31 percent of fantasy players and now they will also enjoy an extra 175-point bonus thanks to her underdog status.

In the only early prelim on Sunday, Elias Theodorou was able to edge out a decision win over Trevor Smith in a back and forth battle in the middleweight division. Theodorou had to claw his way to victory after 89 percent of fantasy players had picked him to win.

Overall, eight favorites were victorious, with just four upsets occurring according to the picks made by fantasy players at UFC Fight Night from Liverpool.