Rising UFC prospect Jacobe Smith is back and will face Bruce Whitehead in a three-round Welterweight contest on tonight’s UFC 332 card. This bout is on the Early Prelims, which start at 4:00 p.m. ET on Paramount+. Originally, Jacobe Smith was slated to take on Kevin Holland on this card, but Smith decided to stay on after Holland withdrew.
Check out my best bet for Jacobe Smith vs. Bruce Whitehead at tonight’s UFC 332 event below.
Jacobe Smith Round 1 (-160)
Smith, 30, has a perfect 12-0 record with 10 finishes in his MMA career. Although Smith is a former college wrestler who competed at Oklahoma State, he has displayed his power in MMA, scoring nine knockouts. Since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Smith has gone 3-0 with three first-round finishes in the last 21 months. Meanwhile, this is Whitehead’s UFC debut after competing in Fury Fighting Championship. He is currently on a two-fight winning streak and last beat Ali Abouzalam in September. Overall, Whitehead is 8-2 with five finishes.
In this bout, Smith is a massive -1200 favorite with Whitehead as a +750 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under is 1.5 rounds, with the under at -280 and the over at +210. Smith is -300 to score a knockout in this contest. Both fighters in this bout are 5’10”, with Whitehead having a slight edge in standing reach (73″ vs. 72″).
Including his DWCS appearance, Smith averages 6.89 significant strikes per minute at a 67 percent rate. On the ground, Smith also lands 7.78 takedowns per 15 minutes with 91 percent takedown accuracy. Smith’s pace and versatile skill set separate him from opponents in the Octagon. Two of Smith’s previous three wins and eight of his 12 wins have come in the first round. With Whitehead taking this fight on short notice, he likely hasn’t had enough time to prepare for someone as dangerous as Smith. Since Smith is such a big favorite, I’m taking him to win in Round 1 at -160.
