Mike Malott vs. Adam Fugitt Prediction: UFC 289 Betting Odds

Mike Malott, the Burlington, Ontario native, is coming off an impressive first-round submission win over Yohan Lainesse last time out at UFC Vegas, improving his professional MMA record to 9-1-1 while claiming his first career Performance of the Night bonus. Fugitt returns to action after claiming his first career victory in octagon at UFC Vegas 68, improve his pro record to 9-3 with a first-round TKO win over Yusaku Kinoshita.

Malott has emerged as emerged -235 favourite on the UFC 289 odds, and Fugitt trails as a +175 underdog. The odds of this fight finishing inside the distance is pegged at a short -428.

Mike Malott

Malott has not missed a beat since joining the UFC last year. During dana White’s Contender Series 42, the 31-year-old needed just 39 seconds to submit Shimon Smotritsky and earn a UFC contract, and followed up with a dominating first-round knockout win over Mickey Gall in his promotional debut at UFC 273.

Overall, “Proper” has seen all nine of his pro MMA wins come inside five minutes, and with four knockouts and five tap outs to his credit, he has demonstrated his ability to dominate both on his feet and on the mat. While Malott has recorded takedowns in two of his past three fights, he has also been brought to the mat in two of those contests, raising concerns about his ability to defend against Fugitt, who excels at level changes.

Adam Fugitt

After suffering a third-round TKO loss to Michael Morales in his promotional debut at UFC 277, Fugitt rebounded to claim a first-round finish in his date with Kinoshita at UFC Fight Night 218 despite taking the fight on just nine days notice. With the benefit of a full training camp to prepare, Fugitt will be looking to prove that his recent win was no fluke.

Indeed, he dominated Kinoshita on the mat, executing four takedowns and compiling 2:53 of control time in their brief clash. The question now is whether he can duplicate that success against the hard-hitting Malott, who avoided spending lengthy time on the mat after being taken down in two of three outings. Indeed, the 34-year-old has taken a lot of punishment during his brief UFC tenure, absorbing 5.90 significant strikes per minute in his two outings.

Malott vs. Fugitt Prediction

The key to success for Fugitt will be his ability to successfully execute level changes and wear down Malott with the ground and pound. That is if he can survive what will likely be the devastating flurry of punches that he will face from the opening bell. Look for Malott to extend his win streak with another finish, but expect it to take more than five minutes.

Prediction: Mike Malott To Win by KO,TKO,DQ (+200)