Beating the Odds: UFC 202

Oddsmakers might want to think twice about installing Lorenz Larkin as an underdog again, no matter the circumstances.

The Millennia MMA welterweight recorded his fourth win in five appearances, as he filled in for an injured Dong Hyun Kim and put away Neil Magny with first-round elbows at UFC 202 “Diaz vs. McGregor 2” on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Magny was a -150 favorite, per BetDSI.com, but Larkin (+125) paid no mind to the odds and closed out “The Ultimate Fighter 16” semifinalist 4:08 into round one.

“The Monsoon” was dominant from start to finish. He staggered Magny with standing elbows in the clinch and chopped away at his lead leg with fast, powerful kicks. Late in the first round, Larkin sprawled out of a desperate takedown attempt, braced himself on the cage and unleashed elbows to the side of the stooped Magny’s exposed head.

Newcomer Mike Perry (+230) stole some of Larkin’s thunder on the main card, as he blitzed Hyun Gyu Lim with punches and made quite the first impression as a short-notice replacement for Sultan Aliev. Perry buried the taekwondo black belt 3:38 into the first round and improved his record to a perfect 7-0.

A 24-year-old Flint, Michigan, native, Perry built towards the finish by flooring the former Pacific Xtreme Combat champion three times. The second knockdown put Lim (-280) in real danger: A crushing overhand right folded the Korean over one of his legs, as Perry swarmed with punches and then retreated back to his feet. Moments later, he met the oncoming Lim with a left hand that had him nosediving to the canvas. Perry followed up with unanswered punches, forcing referee John McCarthy to intervene in the fallen Lim’s behalf.

Finally, Cortney Casey submitted Michigan Top Team’s Randa Markos with an armbar in the first round of their undercard pairing at 115 pounds. Casey (+132) coaxed a verbal tapout from the Resurrection Fighting Alliance alum 4:34 into round one. Markos (-150) had never before been finished.