The co-main event of UFC Fight Night 60 is a three-round featherweight bout between Max Holloway and Cole Miller. According to the current betting lines available at Several Bookmakers, Holloway is a -325 favorite (bet $325 to win $100) while Miller is a +250 underdog (bet $100 to win $250). MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened up Holloway at -380 and Miller at +260, and early action is on the dog Miller. I disagree with the early action on Miller as I like Holloway in this matchup to get the win. Here’s why. Holloway (11-3) is one of the top 15 featherweights in the UFC today. The 23-year-old Hawaiian is 7-3 in the UFC overall and is currently riding a four-fight win streak with victories over Akira Corassani, Andre Fili, Clay Collard and Will Chope. Holloway also has wins in the UFC over Pat Schilling, Justin Lawrence and Leonard Garcia, and his only losses have come to Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Dennis Bermudez. For someone his age his level of experience is truly astonishing and he hasn’t taken much damage in his fights unlike other youngsters like Jordan Mein who have so many fights. Holloway is a very complete mixed martial artist. He has exceptional striking and big power for 145lbs, he has very underrated wrestling and his submission game is very solid as well. He could very well be fighting for the UFC featherweight title in a few more years once he polishes his game off. He is taking on Miller at UFC FN 60 in what is a stylistically-good matchup for Holloway. He has the better striking and he has the wrestling to keep the fight on the feet, so as long as he doesn’t get caught in a submission he should find a way to win. Although Miller has never been this big of an underdog in his career, it makes sense that he is against Holloway, who is already a solid fighter and yet improving rapidly every time he steps into the cage. Miller (21-8) is a veteran of TUF 5 who has carved out a nice career for himself in the UFC over the years, going 10-6 in the Octagon overall, including a 3-3 mark at featherweight with wins over Sam Sicilia, Bart Palaszewski, and Andy Ogle and losses to Manny Gamburyan, Nam Phan, and Steven Siler. The 30-year-old American is a solid striker on the feet but his ground game is his speciality. Miller has 15 career wins by submission and he’s one of those fighters who is always dangerous once a fight hits the mat. Unfortunately, Miller doesn’t really have the wrestling to get his fights to the mat and instead he relies on his opponents taking him down there or knocking them down and getting them there that way. That’s a recipe over lower-level featherweights, but against elite guys like Holloway it’s a tall task. Miller is a solid fighter, but this is a tough matchup for him, one where he will be the gatekeeper looking to keep the young buck Holloway at bay. I think Hollloway has one of the brightest futures of anyone at 145lbs and despite being only 23 years old, he already has a ton of UFC experience. Miller is a veteran fighter who I have counted out before which has come back to bite me, but I just don’t see how he beats Holloway, who is a much better striker and who has an improving grappling game. I think Holloway will perform very well in this fight, and I believe he can even stop Miller with strikes, so even at the current price, I believe he is the right side here and well worth putting into a parlay.
