[jwplayer 0SUvYDWn]
Maki Pitolo and Darren Stewart square off in a middleweight bout on the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 32 Saturday at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. The prelims kick off at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 9 p.m. ET.
Want to place a bet on UFC on ESPN+ 32? Place bets at BetMGM online in CO, IN, NJ and WV! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions. Bet now!
Pitolo (13-5) is a punching machine. He enters this one with 5.22 significant strikes landed per minute to just 2.94 for Stewart (11-5). He isn’t just a brawler, however, as the mixed martial artist also holds a 1.98 to 1.38 takedown average and 60.0 to 44.44 takedown-accuracy percentage advantage. Pitolo – nicknamed “Coconut Bombz” – bounced back from a unanimous decision loss at UFC 243 to Callan Potter as a welterweight with a KO/TKO win in Round 2 against Charles Byrd back on June 6 at UFC 250 at the middleweight level. Each of Pitolo’s past four professional wins have finished inside the distance. In addition, he is 7-2 via KO/TKO in his 18 career professional fights, so he’ll be looking to drop those coconut bombz on the head of Stewart early and often.
Stewart is a striker who is looking to rebound after a unanimous decision loss to Bartosz Fabinski at CW 113 in the main event. Stewart returns to the UFC after the one-off cage warrior event. He is just 4-4 across his past eight fights at the UFC level, losing twice by way of the judges and twice via submission. Stewart is a big puncher, but he might have met his match here, as Pitolo can strike with the best of them. The good news for Stewart is that seven of his 11 career wins have been via KO/TKO, and he has never been knocked out – yet.
Also see:
- Pitolo plans to make statement (MMA Junkie)
- Stewart looks to apply pressure (MMA Junkie)
- MMA Junkie – The latest UFC/MMA coverage
Maki Pitolo vs. Darren Stewart betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 8:40 p.m. ET.
PITOLO (+125) is a tremendous value as a slight underdog in this one against Stewart (-152). It’s nice to diversify your betting card with an underdog or two, and this one really stands out for me.
While Stewart has never lost via knockout, there’s a first time for everything. The Hammerin’ Hawaiian is mostly a one-trick pony. Pitolo hits … and he hits hard. Stewart is the moderate favorite in this one because he can do a handful of things well. But that loss at CW 113 is a bit worrisome, and there’s a concern he is going to catch hands early and not being able to pull out of the nosedive. If you’re buying Pitolo, and you should be, you will also want PITOLO TO WIN BY KO/TKO or DQ (+325) on the 7-way line for an added value. As such, you’ll also want to hit NO (-167): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE?
To watch the full card, sign up for ESPN+ now.
If you want some action on this MMA bout, place your wagers at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and analysis, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]