John Lanfranca said he would take Daniel Marcos’ moneyline if the Peruvian drifts to +120 or better, citing Marcos’ tendency to drag opponents into close three-round fights and Jackson’s reliance on early knockouts. Lanfranca thinks Marcos can survive the initial storm and turn the bout into a nip-and-tuck striking match where judges often reward activity over single big shots. Given Jackson’s sporadic schedule, brutal weight cut, and untested cardio at 33, Lanfranca prefers the plus money and feels Marcos cashes more than the implied 45-48 % at that number.

Billy Ward targeted Montel Jackson by KO at +350 to +400, reasoning that Jackson’s freakish 5-10 frame and devastating left hand translate into early finish upside whenever he finally steps back into the cage. Jackson has fought just once per year but has routinely wrecked lower-tier foes; Ward expects the same punching power to carry against Daniel Marcos, who has been in tightly contested decisions and hasn’t faced a hitter like Jackson. Ward also flagged the increasingly brutal bantamweight weight cut for the 33-year-old Jackson: if he doesn’t secure the quick KO, endurance becomes an issue—making the prop, rather than the moneyline, the sharper way to back him.

Millz Young wrestled with the matchup but ultimately sided with underdog Daniel Marcos, now 17-0, against –200 favorite Montel Jackson. He admitted Jackson owns the longer reach, faster hands and heavier power but argued Marcos brings a deeper bag of striking weapons and has shown he can win at range or in the pocket. Millz pointed out that the only proven formula for beating Jackson is relentless wrestling—a lane the Peruvian does not need—but he still trusts Marcos’ versatility and undefeated confidence to pull out the scorecards in what he called a “striker’s delight.” Betting call: take Marcos at plus money before the number tightens.

The Weasle predicted Montel Jackson scores a second-round KO, saying Marcos ‘runs into trouble by standing right in front of people.’ Jackson has logged 11 knockdowns in 10 UFC bouts and now pairs that piston left hand with cleaner foot placement and timing. Marcos is undefeated and varied, but his crash-forward style collides with Jackson’s southpaw counter lanes. The Weasle highlighted Jackson’s back-to-back performance-bonus knockouts and five-fight win streak as proof of trajectory. One well-timed left drops Marcos, with follow-up punches ending it. Suggested bets: Jackson money-line parlay piece, Jackson KO/TKO, sprinkle Round 2 props.

Matty Betts eyed Montel Jackson by decision at +135 as the most likely outcome against 17-0 Daniel Marcos. Betts conceded Jackson possesses one-shot knockout power—calling him “probably the hardest hitter at bantamweight”—but argued Marcos has shown the chin, footwork, and calf-kick game to blunt explosive moments and force longer stretches of point-fighting. Jackson owns the reach edge, better wrestling metrics, and the superior control grappling should he choose to mix levels, giving him multiple paths to bank rounds even if Marcos lands slightly more volume. Betts’s only hesitation is price: plus 135 feels thin relative to a perfect record on the other side, so he advised grabbing the decision prop only if it drifts back toward +160 or pairing it with a separate plus-money underdog shot elsewhere rather than laying the chalk moneyline.

DFS Army named Montel Jackson his official "kill shot"—an under-owned leverage play—even though the -200 favorite is expected by oddsmakers (-175) to go the distance with Daniel Marcos. The tout believes the long decision prop will keep Jackson’s ownership under 25 %, creating GPP value for a fighter who still carries elite peripherals: 0.68 knockdowns per 15 minutes, 58 % takedown accuracy, and 7.3 significant strikes landed per minute. With most players jamming flashier 9K finishers, he is willing to build around Jackson’s combination of speed, wrestling, and minute-winning volume, projecting 90-100 DraftKings points in a grappling-heavy decision and labeling Marcos a fade outside of minimal hedge exposure.

DFS Army co-host Monk called Montel Jackson his “favorite spot on the entire card” and is willing to play zero Daniel Marcos. Jackson averages 3.5 significant strikes, one takedown and 90 seconds of control in Round 1, then 3.2 strikes, 1.5 takedowns and even more control time the rest of the fight. He has made the DraftKings optimal lineup in four of his last five wins and averages 112 DK points per victory—40 % better than the bantamweight decision norm—while costing only $8,700. Marcos, meanwhile, has produced just 50–82 DK points in his UFC wins and “will only make the optimal with an early finish” because he does little beyond low-volume boxing. Given Jackson’s speed, 0.68 knockdowns per 15 minutes, and wrestling edge against an opponent who concedes control in every round, the analyst is locking Jackson into cash and GPP lineups and fading Marcos outside of token hedge exposure.

DFS Army pegged Montel Jackson as an under-the-radar smash at $8,700. Jackson is –200 over the unbeaten Daniel Marcos, and the tout said the line reflects that ‘Quick’ has finally put everything together. Jackson owns a 0.68 knockdown rate per 15 minutes (third-best at bantamweight), lands 7.3 sig. strikes per minute, and hits 58 % of his takedowns, numbers he flashed while dumping Da’Mon Blackshear in his most recent win. Marcos is 5-0 (1 NC) in the UFC but has surrendered 8:46 of control time across those bouts and was taken down 4 of 6 times by Victor Hugo on DWCS. The analyst expects Jackson’s speed and wrestling to hand Marcos his first loss and generate 90–100 DK points in a decision with knockout upside. He will be overweight on Jackson, keeping only small Marcos shares for leverage.

A different DFS Army host cautioned against eliminating Daniel Marcos from DraftKings pools. Marcos is 5-0 (1 NC) in the UFC, owns a split-decision win over Adrian Yanez and showed he can mix in takedowns when forced. With so many underdogs “thrown right out the window” this week, the tout believes the unbeaten Peruvian still carries an early-knockout or high-volume upset path that merits single-digit exposure in large-field GPPs and inclusion in long-shot parlays. While he prefers Montel Jackson in all formats, he will sprinkle Marcos as a contrarian puncher’s-chance play rather than go 0 % on a fighter who has yet to taste defeat.

Andy Lang said Daniel Marcos is once again being slept on and he is happily betting the Peruvian at plus money. Lang thinks the market is over-rating Montel Jackson’s 18-second knockout of Rani Yahya, comparing it to the one-off Hail-Mary knee Derek Lewis landed on Marcos Rogerio de Lima—spectacular but not predictive. Jackson has fought only four times in the past four years and those wins came against fringe names like Yahya, JP Buys and Jesse Strader, giving bettors no recent sample against live opposition. Marcos, meanwhile, is 17-0 with decision wins over Simon Oliveira and John Castaneda and went strike-for-strike with Adrian Yanez before edging a split against Davey Grant. Because neither bantamweight has ever been finished, Lang likes pairing Marcos moneyline with ‘Fight Goes the Distance’, expecting the higher-volume Marcos to out-work a ring-rusty Jackson over three competitive rounds.

Jim Malaro sided with Daniel Marcos as a surprisingly large underdog, arguing the 17-0 Peruvian has faced the more meaningful UFC sample than the oft-inactive Montel Jackson. Marcos owns wins over Simon Oliveira and John Castaneda and went to a razor-close split with Davey Grant—competition Malaro rates higher than Jackson’s recent victims (JP Buys, Rani Yahya, Jesse Strader). He cautioned that Jackson’s 18-second knockout of Dawon Blackshear ‘tells us nothing’ and that Jackson fights only once per year, limiting confidence in his current form. Because both bantamweights are notoriously durable, Malaro’s preferred stack is Marcos moneyline plus the fight ‘Goes the Distance’, expecting a tight three-round scrap where Marcos’ pressure and volume edge out the cards.

Monk called Montel Jackson his "favorite spot on the entire card" at just $8,700 on DraftKings and said he is willing to flat-out X-out Daniel Marcos. Jackson has made the optimal lineup in four of his last five victories and averages 112 DK points in wins—40 % better than the bantamweight decision norm (115 points even when you remove his 148- and 73-point outliers). Round-by-round, Jackson throws 3.5 significant strikes per minute in the first, 3.2 in the second and third, while averaging a takedown per round and actually increasing control time from 1.5 minutes in Round 1 to 2.5 in Round 3. He flattened Da’Mon Blackshear in 20 seconds, dominated Julio Arce, and even in his losses to Ricky Simon and Brett Johns still landed multiple takedowns and control minutes. Monk hammered that Marcos allows at least 30 seconds of control in every round yet has never faced a true wrestler; when the Peruvian wins he scores poorly (50 DK points vs Davey Grant, low-70s vs Saimon Oliveira). Because Marcos will need an early KO to crack the optimal and Jackson is never been finished, Monk plans to jam Jackson in all formats and be massively overweight in GPPs.

During the weekly Kill Shot segment, Sniper declared Montel Jackson his primary under-owned tournament bullet. At $8,700 the bantamweight bruiser is sandwiched between flashier 9K options that will siphon ownership, and the bout is –175 to reach the judges—numbers that usually scare the field away from paying for him. Sniper argued that the betting total disguises Jackson’s ceiling: he still averages 112 DK points in victories, racks up more than a takedown per round, and actually increases his control time as fights wear on. Daniel Marcos has yet to face a true wrestler and allows at least 30 seconds of control in every round, so even a decision win could flirt with 100 points through rinse-and-repeat takedowns and top-position strikes. Sniper expects single-digit ownership and is willing to lock Jackson across large-field GPPs, calling him "Kill Shot certified" because he can break the slate without needing an early knockout.

Cody Saftic pushed back on the –200 price tag for Montel Jackson, labeling Daniel Marcos a genuine live underdog. Jackson has fought only once per year since debuting at 25 and owns exactly zero wins over active UFC bantamweights; every fighter he has beaten—Kelleher, Yaya, Strader, Buys, Arce—has been released. Despite his vaunted power, Jackson has gone to decision five times and never topped 75 significant strikes, revealing a low-volume style that lets opponents hang around. He has not completed a takedown since 2021 and was taken down eight times by Brett Johns, undercutting faith in his wrestling. Marcos, conversely, brings proven durability, cardio that builds late, and a pace edge (out-attempts opponents by nearly 2-to-1 in significant strikes). Cody’s read: if Jackson doesn’t land the kill-shot early, Marcos’ activity flips rounds on the cards. At +170 or better he is happy to fire pre-fight and may add in-fight once Jackson’s power surge cools.

Paul Shaughnessy plans to use Montel Jackson as parlay glue but wants one last data point: Friday’s scales. He raved about Jackson’s physical advantages—80-inch reach and the biggest hands in the division—plus the clean two-piece that iced Da’Mon Blackshear in 18 seconds. Paul thinks that length, combined with Jackson’s underrated defensive grappling shown versus Ronnie Yaya, neutralises Daniel Marcos’ limited wrestling (two takedowns vs Adrian Yanez but zero control time). While Marcos arrives with a shiny 17-0 pro record (23-0 including amateurs), Paul feels the Peruvian is “always about to go” when pressured and lacks the one-shot power to scare Jackson off. If the former Golden Gloves boxer looks healthy at 135, Paul will anchor parlays around the –200 money-line and may sprinkle KO props given Jackson’s improving timing on that straight left.

Kunath forecasted Montel Jackson ends Daniel Marcos’s unbeaten run by banking the bigger moments in all three rounds. Jackson’s 1.49 knockdowns per 15 minutes are the highest rate in the UFC bantamweight division, and he only falters against chain wrestlers—Brett Johns and Ricky Simon shot a combined 39 takedowns to beat him. Marcos is not that type of grinder; he averages just 0.23 attempts per minute and has relied on razor-thin split decisions, a fortunate no-contest, and a gift against Davy Grant to preserve his spotless record. Kunath thinks Jackson stays patient, stalks, and detonates his left hand whenever Marcos hangs in the pocket. Respecting Marcos’s toughness, Kunath leans decision, but he expects at least one knockdown per round to swing judges. Bettors can play Jackson by decision or sprinkle the KO prop, while DFS users get access to ceiling-level knockdown scoring without heavy ownership.

Gumby Vreeland advised taking Daniel Marcos as a sizeable underdog because Montel Jackson’s profile is built on flashes rather than sustained minutes. Vreeland noted Jackson has logged just 18 seconds of cage time over the past two years, fighting only once per season since 2021, which he believes will leave Jackson’s timing and angle-cutting rusty. Marcos, meanwhile, is 17-0 (4-0 UFC) and just went a full 15 with Adrian Yanez without looking hurt, showcasing the durability to drag Jackson into ‘deep waters’ where his knockout power historically fades. Vreeland also highlighted Marcos’ improved footwork and ability to cut angles, attributes that should help him stay clear of Jackson’s early left hand. Add in Marcos’ solid takedown defense that has stuffed virtually every level change he has faced, and Vreeland labeled the Peruvian a ‘bad stylistic matchup’ for a favorite who relies on quick finishes. He recommended the money-line plus money and suggested sprinkling decision props if they’re juicy.

MMA Guru backed Montel Jackson to finish Daniel Marcos, projecting a late-round-one or round-two TKO at odds of –198 that he argues should be closer to –250. Guru reminded listeners that Jackson’s only UFC blemishes came in razor-close decisions to Ricky Simon and Brett Johns and said neither man ever managed to hold him down for long. With a freakish 75-inch reach, heavyweight-sized hands, and proven one-punch power that just slept Da’Mon Blackshear, Jackson owns every measurables edge. Marcos’ best weapons are lateral movement and volume, but Guru noted he lacks both knockout pop and a serious wrestling threat, meaning Jackson can stalk in straight lines, plant, and fire his down-the-pipe left without fear of being level-changed. Because Marcos has been out-struck by Davey Grant and squeaked through recent split decisions, Guru sees him as a clear step below Jackson athletically and technically. The recommendation is Jackson moneyline or inside-the-distance, with special interest in the round-1/2 TKO prop.

Bedtime MMA said Montel Jackson should win a 30-27 (or at worst 29-28) decision over Daniel Marcos. The tout pointed to Jackson’s superior UFC resume—clean knockouts of Mario Bautista and Da’Mon Blackshear plus clear-cut decisions against tougher opposition—while Marcos has scraped by only via controversial splits, even dropping one to Davey Grant in many fans’ eyes. Jackson carries the heavier hands, a huge reach edge, and the ability to mix in clinch reversals and back-foot jabbing that neutralizes Marcos’ preferred knees-to-the-body approach. Because Jackson can bank rounds with volume or flip the fight instantly with power, whereas Marcos’ win condition is basically “edge a split,” the analyst labeled Jackson the far more reliable betting side.