UFC 297 Odds, Prediction: Neil Magny vs. Mike Malott

There is a lot on the line in this fight. The unranked Malott is 3-0 in his UFC career, winning back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses in his last two bouts, so a strong win on Saturday will likely vault him into the top-15 of the welterweight division. The veteran Magny is the No. 13 ranked welterweight, but he’s in danger of falling out of the top-15 after a string of uneven performances over the last two years.

Malott is a sizeable -350 favourite to win on the MMA odds, while Magny is a +260 underdog.

Neil Magny UFC 297 Odds

Magny has compiled a 28-11 record since his professional MMA debut in 2010. The 36-year-old from Brooklyn has been inconsistent lately, alternating wins and losses over his last six fights. Magny remains a fairly active fighter, stepping into the octagon eight times since 2021 and going 4-4 in that stretch. At this point he’s essentially used as a test for up-and-coming UFC fighters to see if they’re ready to take the next step. His latest fight ended in a unanimous decision loss against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 292 last August. Still, Magny remains one of the most decorated active UFC fighters. His 21 wins is most all-time in welterweight history and tied for sixth-most in UFC history.

“The Haitian Sensation”, who will hold a massive seven-inch reach advantage in his fight, is a fairly well-rounded fighter and very technical. The problem is he doesn’t have any area that he really dominates and he tends to get beaten up by specialist fighters. His best strategy in this fight is to grind it out. His opponent has never fought past the second round, so Magny should focus on dragging the fight out and coming on strong at the end.

Mike Malott UFC 297 Odds

Malott turned professional in 2011, going 10-1-1 in that time. The 32-year-old earned his UFC contract with a first round submission win over Shimon Smotritsky on season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series. In April 2022, Malott beat Mickey Gall by first round TKO in his first UFC fight. He followed that up with a first round submission win against Yohan Lainesse last February and a second round submission win against Adam Fugitt last June.

“Proper” is an elite grappler with high end submission ability and he’s also a powerful striker. He tends to throw for power in inside exchanges and use his pressure to close the gap for a takedown. Malott will likely spend this fight waiting for a submission opportunity as four of his last five wins have come by submission and Magny has lost by submission twice in the last year and a half.