UFC Fight Night 273: Gilbert Burns vs. Mike Malott picks, predictions and best bets: Malott Continues to Rise

Mike Malott is declared the winner as Mickey Gall looks on, who won by first round KO/TKO Saturday, April 9, 2022 during UFC 273 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.

Matthew Lowrimore

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Matthew has been with Pickswise for a while now, covering a wide variety of sports. His main passions are college football and UFC, and those are the sports he has covered the most. Matthew uses a variety of methods to handicap games, including stats, trends, injuries, and situational factors. His goal is to consistently give out winners and will put in the research to try and achieve this. For Matt Lowrimore media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.

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UFC best bet: Mike Malott Win by KO/TKO over Gilbert Burns (-135)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to -140.

Malott enters this fight with an MMA record of 13-2-1 and 7-1 in the UFC, averaging 3.93 significant strikes per minute along with a striking accuracy of 48%. He absorbs 3.06 strikes and has a striking defense of 56%. His grappling has been solid, averaging 1.88 takedowns every 15 minutes, while he has takedown accuracy of 50% and a takedown defense of 14%.

Malott is the heavy favorite in this fight and I believe he’s going to emerge victorious in this one. However, I’m going to target the method of victory instead. Malott has won 5 times by KO/TKO in his MMA career, including 2 times in the UFC. Burns, on the other hand, has lost 4 UFC fights, with 2 coming by finish. He has a total of 4 losses in his career by finish, all of which have come by KO/TKO. Look for Malott to take advantage of Burns’ exposed chin.

Read our full Mike Malott vs. Gilbert Burns prediction

UFC prediction: Kyler Phillips ML over Charles Jourdain (+124)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Playable to +115.

The co-main at UFC Fight Night 273 will see Kyler Phillips take on Charles Jourdain in the Bantamweight division. Phillips enters this fight with an MMA record of 12-4 and 7-3 in the UFC. He averages 5.04 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 42%, while he absorbs 3.83 strikes and has a striking defense of 60%. His grappling is solid, averaging 2.31 takedowns every 15 minutes, and his takedown defense is very strong at 75%.

I’m going with the underdog in this bout. Phillips has been more consistent in the UFC recently, wining 5 of his last 8 UFC fights compared to Jourdain’s 4-4 over the same stretch. Further, Phillips has much better grappling than Jourdain, which could end up being the deciding factor given their similar striking ability.

Read our full Kyler Phillips vs. Charles Jourdain prediction

UFC pick: Marcio Barbosa Win in Round 1 over Dennis Buzukja (+100)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to +100.

The first fight on the main card at UFC Fight Night 273 will see Dennis Buzukja take on Marcio Barbosa in the UFC Featherweight division. Barbosa is the significant favorite in this fight, known for taking care of business very quickly. In fact, 16 of his 19 career fights have ended in the first round, with 16 of his 17 career wins coming in the first round as well. Moreover, he has won 14 times by KO/TKO, including his lone UFC fight. I’m expecting those trends to continue here.

Read our full Dennis Buzukja vs. Marcio Barbosa prediction