One of the prelims at UFC Fight night 60 is a three-round flyweight bout between Zach Makovsky and Tim Elliott. According to the current betting lines available at Several Bookmakers, Makovsky is a -115 favorite (bet $115 to win $100) while Elliott is a -105 underdog (bet $105 to win $100). MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened up Makovsky and -140 and Elliott at +100, and there has been back-and-forth action on both fighters so far. This is a very competitive fight but I slightly lean towards the dog Elliott to get the win. Here’s why. Makovsky (18-5) is the former Bellator bantamweight champion but he has fought at flyweight since coming over to the UFC. The 31-year-old American is 2-1 in the UFC with wins over Scott Jorgensen and Josh Sampo and a loss to Jussier Formiga. Makovsky is a solid all-around fighter who has good wrestling, striking, and submissions skills. He also has good cardio. Makovsky’s main weakness is his submission defence as he’s lost by sub three times in his career. Although Elliott is not a great submission artist, he is a solid grappler and if he can put Makovsky into bad situations, he can frustrate him and give him problems. To win, Makovsky will have to be the more technical striker and grappler, and while it won’t be easy, it’s definitely possible, and that’s why you see the line the way it is. Elliott (10-5-1) is 2-3 in the UFC with wins over Louis Gaudinot and Jared Papazian and losses to Joseph Benavidez, Ali Bagautinov and John Dodson. The 28-year-old American is a very scrappy fighter who has an awkward fighting style that makes it difficult for his opponents to really get a good read on him. He has awkward striking on the feet and even a guy like Dodson has problems hitting him. Elliott’s wrestling is very powerful for a flyweight and on the ground he has a nice ground and pound attack. He also has excellent cardio. He is definitely a solid all-around mixed martial artist with no obvious flaws in his game, and if he can keep up a solid pace, he will always make his fights close on the judges’ scorecards, including this bout with Makovsky. This is going to be a close mixed martial arts fight. I think it will take place standing, in the clinch, and on the ground, and I think it most likely hits the judges’ scorecards. With both being flyweights, I don’t expect the elevation to affect each man and I think both will be able to go 15 strong. I just lean slightly towards Elliott because I think he can keep up a slightly stronger pace in the striking and wrestling over the three rounds and I think the judges will reward him for it, likely with a split decision. I can’t bet this fight because I can’t trust the judges to get it right, but I do lean towards Elliott for my official pick.
