Julian Marquez vs. Maki Pitolo: UFC 258 Betting Prediction

UFC 258 Betting Tips: Julian Marquez Submission Surprise Offers Crazy Odds in Maki Pitolo Matchup

Prediction: Marquez via submission (+900) in Rd 2 (+550)

Excitement is guaranteed when Julian Marquez faces Maki Pitolo in a middleweight matchup to open the main card at UFC 258. Marquez (7-2) has been tagged as the -170 favorite despite the fact his last fight was in July 2018, with injuries and cancellations resulting in a two-and-a-half-year absence.

Like his opponent, Pitolo (13-7) prefers to settle things in the standup arena, with each of these combatants clinching the majority of their victories by KO or TKO. Another commonality between the two is that they earned their UFC entries with knockout wins on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Striking may be the natural prediction for how we see this fight close out, but Syndicate MMA-trained Marquez has also shown a liking to ground techniques in his more recent outings. His UFC debut ended with a submission over another heavy puncher in Darren Stewart, while you could see “The Cuban Missile Crisis” looking to sync chokes before his sensational head-kick KO of Phil Hawes in 2017:

Alessio Di Chirico proved too elusive for Marquez and beat him via decision after that, but Pitolo presents a more straightforward threat. “Coconut Bombz” will throw heavy and look to take out Marquez’s base with thundering leg kicks, but Marquez is a major knockout threat himself.

Pitolo too easily gave up his neck to hand Stewart his first submission in August 2020, and Marquez may well look to capitalise in that area rather than go blow-for-blow. A sub win for the favorite yields a massive +900 price, which is all too tempting considering Pitolo has recorded more losses to tapping (three) than any other method in his career.