UFC Vegas 91: Maheshate vs. Gabriel Benitez Prediction, Pick and Odds
By Jaren Kawada
The UFC is back after a two-week hiatus and will open the night back in the UFC APEX with rising prospect Hayisaer Maheshate — officially credited by just his surname — and veteran Gabriel Benitez.
Still just 24 years old, Maheshate (9-3, 1-2 in UFC) is looking to bounce back from the first losing streak of his career after coming up short against Rafa Garcia and Viacheslav Borshchev. The Chinese prospect hit the ground running at UFC 275 by knocking out Steve Garcia in his debut but has not picked up a win since, leaving his promotional record at 1-2.
Benitez (23-11, 7-7 in UFC) has not had the career he imagined to this point and enters this fight with his back against the wall in potential danger of being released from the UFC. Since beginning his promotional run with a 5-2 record in the Octagon, Benitez is just 2-5 in his last seven fights and last competed on UFC Vegas 84, losing to Jim Miller by submission.
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Maheshate vs. Gabriel Benitez odds and round total
Maheshate vs. Gabriel Benitez best bet
For the second time in his four UFC fights, Maheshate will be facing a current or former featherweight. The last time he did so, he put Steve Garcia out cold and we will be backing him to do so again on April 27 against the 35-year-old Benitez.
Even against the average-sized lightweight, the 6'0" Maheshate is almost always the bigger fighter as a large man for the division. Once the cage door closes on Saturday, he will dwarf the 5'8" Benitez who is practically just a featherweight and is not cutting weight.
Maheshate does not throw a lot of volume — averaging just 2.91 significant strikes landed per minute — but is still an elite striker with his power and timing. In his most recent two losses, the Chinese prodigy simply fought a better striker in Viacheslav Borshchev, a former kickboxer, and a wrestler in Rafa Garcia who exploited his poor wrestling defense with six completed takedowns.
Benitez is an accomplished grappler with 10 career wins by submission but is not a profound wrestler, averaging just 0.24 takedowns per 15 minutes. Benitez completes his takedowns at a 50 percent clip but does not attempt much as he prefers to utilize his kickboxing.
In his last seven fights, Benitez is just 2-5 while showing significant signs of slowing down as he nears the end of his career. In that span, Benitez has landed just one takedown while both of his wins are over fighters no longer on the UFC roster.
After getting picked apart by 40-year-old Jim Miller three months ago, this is a bad short-notice style matchup for Benitez, who has been dropped three times in his last seven fights. The money line price is steep on Maheshate but his knockout prop sits at a juicy price given he has picked up four of his nine career wins (44 percent) by knockout, while Benitez has been knocked out three times since 2019.
Prediction: Maheshate by knockout in round two