The soon to be UFC 296 event showcases exciting betting opportunities for appealing fights. One to check out is a light heavyweight bout at the end of the early prelims between 14^th-ranked Alonzo Menifield and 15^th-ranked Dustin Jacoby on Saturday, December 16, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the early prelims starting at 6:00 PM ET. Jacoby is currently the favorite with a moneyline at -240.

Menifield is coming off a second round guillotine choke submission victory over Jimmy Crute back at UFC 290 in July of this year. Prior to that, he battled Crute to a majority draw in February.

He has established 14 wins, which consist of 10 knockouts, three submissions, and one decision. He has added 10 first round finishes so far to his resume. In addition, two of his three defeats have come by decision.

“Atomic” has a strong striking accuracy at 58 percent, but lacks with his takedown attempts at 31 percent. He has a solid significant strike ratio at 3.83 significant strikes landed and 3.09 absorbed each minute of battle.

Menifield has some action on the ground, as shown by his recent win. He lands 0.62 takedowns and 0.31 submissions every 15 minutes of fight time. He also defends against significant strikes at 52 percent and against takedowns at 76 percent.

Jacoby has gone 1-2 over his last three fights, with his recent success ending his two-fight skid. This was a first round TKO over Kennedy Nzechukwu back at UFC onESPN 50 in August of this year.

His fighting resume reveals 19 wins, which have been by 12 knockouts, a submission, and six decisions. He has earned 12 first round finishes and has four of his seven losses coming by decision.

“The Hanyak” lands 47 percent of his strikes but only 25 percent of his takedowns. His significant strike ratio is a little more aggressive than Menifield’s, as he delivers 5.46 significant strikes a minute and takes on 4.02. This will likely be the difference in this fight.

Jacoby landed 0.40 takedowns per 15 minutes of action. He also defends against significant strikes and takedowns at 59 and 60 percent, respectively.

MyBookie provides the odds for this battle, with Dustin Jacoby as the moderate favorite to be successful here. Bettors should look to add him to a parlay with other battles on the night or choose a prop bet that could potentially pay more.

This battle is a lot closer than the odds are showing. However, Jacoby has a quality striking ability that is hard to ignore as well as his significant strike output.