An underrated upcoming UFC fight this weekend is a middleweight bout between Phil Hawes and Brunno Ferreira. These two are looking for a statement performance to boost themselves into the middleweight rankings in 2024.
Hawes vs. Ferreira Picks
- Pick: Ferreira by KO.
Continue reading for the official Hawes vs. Ferreira betting analysis and prediction before placing any bets on this UFC Fight Night event to kick off the year.
Phil Hawes vs Brunno Ferreira Information
Phil Hawes vs Brunno Ferreira
Location of the game: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Date & Time: January 13, 2024. 7 PM ET main card start
How to Watch: ESPN+
Last Fight Record
Hawes is coming off two straight losses via first-round KO to Roman Dolidze and Ikram Aliskerov.
Ferreira is coming off a first-round KO loss to Nurulton Ruziboev last July, the first loss of his MMA career.
Hawes vs. Ferreira Betting Analysis
Phil Hawes
Hawes is an American mixed martial artist with a professional MMA record of 12-5, including 8 wins by TKO/KO and 2 submission victories under his belt at the age of 35. He was a NCAA JUCO wrestling national champion at Iowa Central and went on to compete at Iowa State.
Hawes, fighting out of the orthodox stance, stands at 6’0” with a 77” reach. He has both power and wrestling ability, averaging 5.55 significant strikes landed per minute at a 59% clip, and getting 2.28 takedowns per 15 minutes. He also has an incredible 100% takedown defense.
Brunno Ferreira
Ferreira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist with a professional MMA record of 10-1 with all ten of his wins coming by a finish; including 7 TKO/KO wins and 3 submissions. He’s 31 years old and earned his shot at the UFC after scoring a beautiful first-round KO at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022.
Standing at only 5’10” with a 72” reach, Ferreira might be a smaller middleweight on paper, but the power and strength still hold up. In his brief three-fight career in the octagon so far, he averages 5.79 significant strikes landed and 5.22 significant strikes absorbed per minute. He hasn’t engaged in offensive grappling but has a 50% takedown defense stopping 1 of 2 takedowns.
Updates
No injuries have been reported to the UFC or ESPN.
Phil Hawes vs Brunno Ferreira Betting Preview
What a way to kick off 2024 with this Hawes vs. Ferreira betting analysis. After looking over the numbers, it’s time to preview the betting lines and study the film on both men to get the best idea of who to bet on.
Starting with the UFC fight odds, Hawes is currently the slight underdog at +106 and Ferreira is the -126 betting favorite. These odds could trend towards EVEN as the fight week continues, so keep an eye on that. Odds heavily favor the fight to end inside the distance at -725..
After watching tape on both of these guys, the reason this is going to be an exciting fight to watch is because they both are powerful and exciting but they aren’t good defensively.
Hawes is now 35 years old and his chin isn’t getting any better, but hopefully not completely deteriorating. Ferreira is the fresh face around the division and he came into the UFC with a lot of momentum that got stopped last summer facing an experienced professional from overseas.
The key to this fight is whether or not Hawes will be able to wrestle Ferreira. Ferreira will get taken down if Hawes can get to his legs and lock his hands. Ferreira is going to be using his feet to move around the (small) APEX cage and then land a big shot with Hawes walking into it.
Hawes vs. Ferreira Betting Prediction
Putting together and going through this Hawes vs. Ferreira betting analysis and preview, almost makes this fight even tougher to pick. UFC picks are the toughest to make in sports betting and you need to be very careful about who you spend your money on.
If you need to bet on this middleweight bout, the official UFC prediction is that this fight will be over inside the distance and it will most likely be Ferreira by KO. Hawes’ chin is too suspect now after one too many one-punch KOs.
Ferreira needs to be sharp and ready to land that big right-hand or left-hook counter with an aggressive Hawes chasing him down trying to get his hands on him.
- Pick: Ferreira by KO.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.