Sean John Lanfranca said he is firing on Don'Tale Mayes at +235 despite the heavyweight’s ugly 77-second loss last time out. Lanfranca pointed to Mayes’ eight-inch reach advantage over Thomas Peterson, noting Peterson has already been knocked out once on the regional scene and was jabbed to a decision by Jamal Pogues. He expects Peterson to wrestle early, but believes Mayes is athletic enough to stay upright, pump the jab from long range and land the cleaner, heavier strikes. Because nobody wants to touch Mayes after the quick KO, Lanfranca is waiting to see if the line drifts even higher and will grab anything above +200 in what he views as a true coin-flip matchup.

MMA Guru backed Dontale Mays as an underdog and predicted a round-two TKO of Thomas Petersen. He highlighted Mays’ seven-inch reach, superior athleticism, and years of UFC experience, contrasting them with Petersen’s "ball of flab" frame and limited gas tank. Guru noted Mays survived takedowns from Shamil Gaziev and routinely works back to his feet, while Petersen struggles to control opponents on the mat and was finished quickly by Gaziev. If Petersen can’t blanket early, Guru expects him to slip off during a stand-up scramble, giving Mays top position and the chance to finish with ground-and-pound. All the finishing equity is on Mays’ side, so Guru recommended the Mays moneyline or inside-the-distance prop.