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The heavyweights are here! Juan Espino and Jeff Hughes meet in a heavyweight bout on the early preliminary card of UFC 253 on Fight Island on September 26th. Espino, nicknamed “El Guapo”, is heavily favored and will look to improve his 10-1 record while Hughes will try to play spoiler and improve on his 10-3 record.
Espino is a fighter that is very precise, shown in his striking accuracy numbers. The TUF 28 winner will look to steam forward with his power and add to his seven-fight winning streak, but he has not fought since late 2018. The 39-year-old has not competed since an armlock submission of Justin Frazier in The Ultimate Fighter Finale 28.
“Lights Out” Hughes is 0-2 in the UFC with 1 no contest, and could be fighting for his place in the promotion here. He’s landed 4.34 strikes per minute while in the octagon, but has dropped a pair of decisions so far. This will be his first bout since Raphael Pessoa defeated him by unanimous decision in October of 2019.
Here are the betting splits at DraftKings Sportsbook for Juan Espino vs. Jeff Hughes at UFC 253 on September 26th.
Betting splits
Juan Espino: -305, (79% of action, 80% of bets)
Jeff Hughes: +233, (21% of action, 30% of bets)
Winning method splits
Here are the splits for the method of victory at DraftKings Sportsbook for Juan Espino vs. Jeff Hughes at UFC 253 on September 26th:
Fights
| Outcome | Odds | % Handle | % Bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outcome | Odds | % Handle | % Bets |
| Juan Espino By Submission | +120 | 67% | 65% |
| Jeff Hughes By KO, TKO or DQ | +550 | 23% | 9% |
| Jeff Hughes By Decision | +500 | 6% | 3% |
| Juan Espino By KO, TKO or DQ | +600 | 2% | 6% |
| Juan Espino By Decision | +280 | 1% | 13% |
| Tie | +6000 | 0% | 2% |
| Jeff Hughes By Submission | +1600 | 0% | 3% |
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