American Nick Maximov and Jacob Malkoun of Australia, two young and relative newcomers to the UFC battle in a preliminary-round Middleweight clash at UFC Fight Night: Grasso and Araujo at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. After impressive starts to their UFC careers, both fighters have faced setbacks this year with losses. It must be said that the fighter who wins this bout will see their career resume the progressive trajectory of climbing up the rankings. In this article, we will review the two fighters and reveal some of the best betting odds on offer.
MMA: UFC Middleweight
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas
Date: 16-10-2022: 00:00
Where to watch: ESPN+
Nick Maximov
The 24-year-old American wrestler and member of the Nick Diaz Academy made his UFC debut in September 2021 at UFC 266. He defeated fellow promotional newcomer Cody Brundage in that bout. Before that, he had competed in Dana White’s Contender Series as a heavyweight, wherein he earned his UFC contract. He came to the UFC with an impressive eight-match professional winning streak amassed in various regional promotions in America. Andre Petroski halted that streak in May 2022 after he was submitted via Anaconda choke after just 76 seconds. The bout against Malkoun will be his third in the year after a split-decision win over Punahele Soriano in February.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 24
- Height: 6’
- Reach: 76’
- Total: 9
- Record: 8-1-0
Jacob Malkoun
Like most Aussies, Jacob has a connection to Rugby. His father enrolled him in a boxing gym at 16 to lose his Rugby League weight. The young Jacob took to boxing and, from there, transitioned into MMA. The former Pan Pacific boxing gold medalist made his UFC debut in October 2020 after showing promise in the Australian regional scene. He followed his debut loss with two wins over Abdul Razak Alhassan and AJ Dobson. He comes into this battle after a unanimous loss to Brendan Allen at UFC 275 in Singapore. Nicknamed ‘Mamba’ after the late NBA star Kobe Bryant, Malkoun is a grappler and Jiu-Jitsu exponent.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 27
- Height: 5’ 9”
- Reach: 73’
- Total: 8
- Record: 6-2-0
Betting Odds
Maximov is the favorite of the oddsmakers, with a win for him priced at 1.65 odds on BetKing. The same BetKing has a win for Malkoun at 2.20 odds. The fight to not go the distance is offered for 2.75 odds on 1Xbet. A bet for Under 1.5 rounds goes for 4.00 odds on Bet 365. A more cautious under 2.5 rounds is priced at 3.00 odds on Bet 365.
