After the Nevada sports books twice lost big on Mike Tyson in the '90s, the large odds that were once so prevalent became a thing of the past.

Tyson lost to Buster Douglas as a 42-1 underdog in 1990 and then lost as a 24-1 underdog to Evander Holyfield in 1996. After that, it was rare to see those kinds of lines out on title fights involving big-named fighters.Chael Sonnen looks on during a fight on 'The Ulitmate Fighter.' (Getty)

A UFC title fight has never seen the kind of odds involved with the Douglas and Holyfield upsets, but that's only because of an excess of caution by the sports book directors.

When Georges St-Pierre defended his title against Matt Serra at UFC 69 in 2007, he went off as a minus-950 favorite. Serra was plus-575.

"Everybody thought that Serra was going to get killed," UFC president Dana White said. "The books weren't putting those kinds of crazy odds up any more, but if they were, Serra would have been 25-1 or more, just like those guys were against Tyson."

Chael Sonnen will go into his light heavyweight title bout

Read More »from Chael Sonnen facing harsh reality, long odds in light heavyweight title tilt against Jon Jones

Benson Henderson proposes to Maria Magana after his victory against Gilbert Melendez. (USA Today)

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Benson Henderson dropped to one knee shortly after engaging Gilbert Melendez in a rousing lightweight title fight at the HP Pavilion.

He fell to his knee right after ring announcer Bruce Buffer read the judges’ scores in a fight that could've gone either way.

Normally that reaction would indicate disappointment, but after winning a split decision over Melendez to keep his championship, Henderson decided to propose to girlfriend Maria Magana.

A lot happens at UFC shows, but seeing a champion drop to his knee and put a ring on his fiancée's finger is a first. Even though he went five grueling, fast-paced physical rounds with one of the best fighters in the world, Henderson admitted the toughest task he faced on Saturday was to go through with the proposal.

“That one takes the cake,” he said of a very public proposal, which came not only in front of 13,506 fans, but in front of a national television audience on Fox, as well.

[Results: Benson Henderson ekes out

Read More »from 'Smooth' move: Benson Henderson defends UFC lightweight title, wins over fiancée with proposal

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Benson Henderson came out a double winner on Saturday.

Only minutes after narrowly retaining his UFC lightweight title by claiming a split decision over ex-Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez, Henderson proposed to girlfriend Maria Magana in the Octagon at the HP Pavilion. 

He got on one knee and asked Magana to marry him. After she said yes, he picked her off her feet and they embraced, and the pro-Melendez crowd booed the whole scene.

It was a wild end to a great night of fights. The eight knockouts tied a record for most knockouts on a card, matching the record set at UFC 92 in 2008.

Henderson and Melendez fought a back-and-forth bout that could have gone either way. Two judges had it 48-47 for Henderson and the third went 48-47 for Melendez. Yahoo! Sports scored it for Melendez, giving him Rounds 1, 2 and 5.

Each man landed his share of strikes and kicks and had his moments in the fight. Neither was ever close to being finished,

Read More »from Benson Henderson ekes out split-decision win, proposes to girlfriend as crowd boos

SAN JOSE, Calif. – John Crouch looked toward the ceiling and tried to focus his thoughts. He was trying to explain the sequence of events that led him to become UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson's mixed martial arts coach.

Benson Henderson has continued to show improvement fight by fight. (MMA Weekly)Henderson is now one of the best fighters in the world, and will defend his belt against Gilbert Melendez Saturday at the HP Pavilion in the main event of UFC on Fox 7. Crouch is one of the sport's elite coaches, helping to guide the careers of Henderson, flyweight contender John Moraga, ex-WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner and former "The Ultimate Fighter" winner Efrain Escudero, among others.

Today, Crouch works out of a sparkling gym in Glendale, Ariz., where he does a strong private business. But at the time he met Henderson, he was working in virtual obscurity in Denver.

Crouch was preparing Alvin Robinson to meet Kenny Florian at UFC 73 on July 7, 2007. Robinson's college roommate was a friend of a collegiate wrestling teammate of

Read More »from Benson Henderson's dedication has made him a growing force in UFC

Rare is the athlete who becomes one of his sport's biggest attractions without the accompanying accomplishment on the field of play.

Canelo Alvarez flexes his muscles during the weigh-in for his fight against Austin Trout. (AP)Yet, while Canelo Alvarez is one of the four or five biggest draws in boxing, his accomplishments have yet to match his popularity.

Those doubts will be erased on Saturday after he fights Austin Trout in the main event of a sold-out card at the Alamodome in San Antonio in a WBA/WBC super welterweight unification match.

A win over Trout would vault Alvarez into truly elite status. A loss, though, could confirm suspicions that Alvarez has been coddled on the way to a 41-0-1 record with 30 knockouts.

Alvarez has beaten three types of fighters: no-hopers, who had little talent and less chance of winning; smaller fighters, who sacrificed a significant amount of size to face him; or big-name veterans who were long past their primes.

[Also: Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev had boxing aspirations | Photos]

In Trout, Alvarez will face none of

Read More »from Canelo Alvarez can join boxing's elite by beating Austin Trout in title fight

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bombing suspect who died early Friday following a shootout with police, was an amateur boxer of some note who had considered turning pro.

He won the New England Golden Gloves tournament in 2009 and 2010, though he only competed in the National Golden Gloves finals in Salt Lake City in 2009.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev (L) fights in the 2009 Golden Gloves (Getty Images)Edwin Rodriguez, a highly-rated professional super middleweight, sparred with Tsarnaev in 2010 and said he broke Tsarnaev’s rib.

“We had a baby [Evan] born on Monday, which was April 15, and we were in the hospital that day, watching the news about the bombing at the marathon,” Rodriguez told Yahoo! Sports. “It’s a strange feeling to know I sparred with this guy and knew him and talked with him. It’s not like we were friends, but we talked and had conversations. It is strange. It’s hard now, knowing what this coward did, to even think about it. He affected so many people, so many families. My heart just goes out to them.”

Rodriguez, who is ranked No. 2 at 168 pounds by the WBC and No. 3 by both the IBF and the WBA, was preparing for a fight in 2010 and was looking for quality sparring partner near his Worcester, Mass., home.

[Related: Massive manhunt ends with capture of Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev]

There are a lot of amateurs in the area, but not many pros. The majority of amateurs aren’t qualified to give a top professional prospect like Rodriguez high-level work.

Read More »from Dead Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev had boxing aspirations

SAN JOSE, Calif. – While promoting a card in Sweden earlier this month, UFC president Dana White made a stop in Dusseldorf, Germany, to undergo an experimental treatment to help him with his Meniere's disease.

Dana White says he has felt considerably better since having PRP therapy. (USA Today Sports)White underwent platelet-rich plasma therapy after receiving a tip from New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

Meniere's is an inner ear disorder with symptoms that include vertigo. The symptoms, at their worst, could require White to lie quietly for many hours at a time, rendering him unable to work.

White underwent surgery in the United States last year and said the procedure didn't help much. He was, however, enthused about the results from the PRP therapy.

"It was [expletive] amazing; just amazing," a jovial White said Thursday at the HP Pavilion, where he is promoting a card on Saturday. "I'm done. I'm good. I'm still going to eat the way I'm supposed to eat and do what I'm supposed to do, but when I tell you that healed me, wow. Literally, I got the

Read More »from Dana White says PRP therapy helps inner ear disorder

It's probably symptomatic of how utterly dominant Jon Jones has been in his two-plus year reign as light heavyweight champion, but before Daniel Cormier has even made his UFC debut, before he's ever fought a bout in the 205-pound division, he's being hailed as the one man who may potentially be able to dethrone Jones.

Cormier comes from the same camp that has produced UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, and he shares many of the same traits as his good friend: high-level wrestling skill, plenty of tenacity and heavy hands.

The easy-going Cormier is as grounded and realistic as they come, and he fully understands he's got a massive challenge on Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., when he takes on ex-UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the co-main event of UFC on Fox 7.

A win over Mir means something in the UFC, and it would set Cormier up for something big, be it at heavyweight, or at light heavyweight, where UFC president Dana White wants him to

Read More »from Daniel Cormier noncommittal about future, trying to focus on UFC debut against Frank Mir