The MMA Daily

This could be a sleeper for ‘Fight of the Night’. Devonte Smith is a pure striker, who has legitimate knockout power. With quick hand speed and athleticism, Smith has proven that going toe-to-toe with him often leads to your lights being turned out. Jamie Mullarkey might oblige with Smith on the feet, as the well rounded Aussie boasts nine knockout victories. However, Mullarkey has shown to be a strategist at times. Using his wrestling to neutralize strikers and his striking to halt wrestlers. While his first two UFC fights didn’t go his way, the third outing showed what Mullarkey is capable of. 

As for a prediction, I’m going with Smith. The hard hitting lightweight is a solid fighter, who with a little more activity, could very well be a contender. Obviously people are going to point to his shocking knockout loss against Khama Worthy as a reason to question his chin or ceiling. However, it was Smith’s first professional defeat to a man who was a former training partner of his. He simply made a mistake and paid for it, which is something that happens in MMA. Nevertheless, I like Smith in this fight. He does a great job working behind his jab, often using it to set up his power shots. Smith also throws at a high output and is very accurate. In what should be a fun fight, I see Mullarkey pressuring Smith and getting countered with a devastating blow. So with that said, I have Smith winning via knockout.