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On the main card of UFC 254, Jacob Malkboun will take on Phil Hawes in a middleweight bout live this Saturday from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi and available on pay-per-view via ESPN+.
Hawes will open as the favorite with an 8-2 MMA record, 1-1 in the UFC. “Megatron” does a bit of everything inside the octagon. He averages 3.47 significant strikes per minute and absorbs 4.98. As for grappling, it’s 1.74 takedowns per 15 minutes. Both of his UFC bouts haven’t even touched the third round as he has both a first-round knockout win and a second-round knockout loss.
The 31-year-old will be facing more of an unknown opponent as 5-foot-9, 25-year-old Malkoun will enter the UFC octagon for his first time. He has a 4-0 record in MMA with two wins coming via knockout.
Here are the betting splits at DraftKings Sportsbook for Jacob Malkoun vs. Phil Hawes at UFC 254 on October 24th.
Betting splits
Jacob Malkoun: +205, (21% of action, 16% of bets)
Phil Hawes: -265, (79% of action, 84% of bets)
Winning method splits
Here are the splits for the method of victory at DraftKings Sportsbook for Jacob Malkoun vs. Phil Hawes at UFC 254 on October 24th:
DraftKings DFS Values
Jacob Malkoun: $7,100
Phil Hawes: $9,100
For DFS, this is a risky fight to select a challenger. Malkoun is cheap and has a history of knockouts. If he’s the real deal, he could find a way to manage a quick victory. It also helps that Hawes take a beating while in the octagon.
Hawes has experience, and his will be his fight to lose. For his salary at $9,100, he may outprice his market. Given that it’s Malkoun’s debut and Hawes made quick work of Khadzhimurat Bestaev in his last Dana White’s Contender Series appearance, the edge could go to Hawes in DFS even at his high price. This might be a fight to stay away from though.
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