- Sam Alvey has opened as the +235 underdog against Phil Hawes.
- Hawes, who stepped in to replace Ian Heinisch, has opened as the 3/1 betting favorite
- Alvey and Hawes are scheduled to fight in the UFC’s February 5th event.
Sam Alvey has opened as a sizable betting underdog in his next bout against Phil Hawes.
According to the best UFC betting sites, Alvey is a +235 against Hawes who hit the betting boards at -300 when the lines first opened last Friday:
UFC Fight Night Opening Odds:
Phil Hawes (-300)
Sam Alvey (+235) https://t.co/Lw7tcwbdgu— FightOdds.io (@FightOdds_io) January 15, 2022
Alvey was supposed to fight Ian Heinisch on February 5th but Heinisch withdrew from the bout Luckily for Alvey, Hawes agreed to step in on short notice. However, Alvey is still a big underdog against his new opponent.
Alvey Drops Split Decision Against Wellington Turman
After being penalized two points due to eye pokes, Wellington Turman still went on to win a split decision against Sam Alvey at #UFCVegas35 pic.twitter.com/4QmNjUf21h
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 29, 2021
Alvey is coming off a tough split decision loss to Wellington Turman at UFC Vegas 35 August 28, 2021. In that bout, Turman was penalized two points due to eye pokes yet still managed to beat Alvey in a pick’em fight where both fighters opened at -110 odds. That defeat dropped Alvey to 0-6-1 in his last seven bouts, making his next bout against Hawes likely a must-win for him if he wants to stay in the UFC.
The 35-year old from Waterford, Wisconsin, has been fighting since 2008. Alvey competed for promotions like Bellator, King of the Cage, MFC, and was a contestant at The Ultimate Fighter 16. He joined the UFC in 2014 and started his Octagon career with a decent 10-5 win-loss record before his current struggles. Overall, Alvey has a record of 33-16 with 19 knockouts and three submission victories.
This is the 7th consecutive bout where Alvey has opened as the betting underdog in a UFC bout. All of those bouts have ended in either a loss or a draw. The last time he was favored in a bout was when he was listed at -300 against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Little Nog beat Alvey on points and started his current slump.
Chris Curtis Stuns Phil Hawes With First Round Knockout
Chris Curtis stuns Phil Hawes with comeback knockout in first round to make a successful debut at #UFC268 https://t.co/bzBzyWFKpq pic.twitter.com/gCWQvoEDrn
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) November 7, 2021
Hawes is also coming off a loss. The 33-year old from Hackensack, New Jersey suffered a first-round knockout loss to Chis Curtis in his most recent Octagon appearance last November 6, 2021, at UFC 268. The loss snapped a seven-fight winning streak that began after Hawes was knocked out by Julian Marquez in his first appearance at the Contender Series in 2017.
A former Muay Thai fighter, Hawes also fought for Legacy Fighting Championship, Global Knockout, WSOF, and Brave FC. He earned his UFC ticket after winning his second appearance at the Contender Series in 2020. Hawes won his first three UFC assignments against Jacob Malkoun, Nassoudine Imavov, and Kyle Daukaus before losing in his previous fight.
Hawes has seen the minus money sign next to his name in seven out of his last eight bouts. The only time he was underdog during this period was when he fought Daukaus at +132 odds. Hawes had his shortest odds ever at -450 in his most recent bout. However, that ended in a first-round KO loss against Curtis.
