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Contender Series Week 3: Andrey Pulyaev vs. Liam Anderson continues with the featured fight in the middleweight division between Andrey Pulyaev and Liam Anderson. Pulayev comes into this fight with wins in each of his last four fights with all four coming inside the distance meanwhile, Anderson also comes into this fight with four straight finishes looking to extend his winning streak and secure his UFC contract. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Pulayev-Anderson prediction and pick.
Andrey Pulyaev (8-2) comes into this fight riding a four-fight winning streak where he finished all four of his opponents in the first round. He most recently knocked out Well Oliveira who is a 60-fight veteran in just 1:16 in the first round. Pulyaev will be looking for another highlight reel finish when he takes on New York's Liam Anderson this Tuesday night to secure his UFC contract.
Liam Anderson (6-2) is also set to make his Contender Series debut riding a four-fight winning streak finishing all four of his fights in the first round. Anderson has shown his well-rounded skillset in those four wins with two wins by KO/TKO and two wins by submission. His ability to finish the fight anywhere it takes place will be his biggest advantage when he steps inside the Octagon on Tuesday to secure his spot on the UFC roster.
Here are the Contender Series UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Contender Series Odds: Andrey Pulyaev-Liam Anderson Odds
Andrey Pulyaev: +154
Liam Anderson: -200
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Why Andrey Pulyaev Will Win
Andrey Pulyaev makes his first appearance on the Contender Series with wins in each of his last three fights where all three wins came inside the distance. That now has Pulyaev at 8-2 in his professional career with 7 of those 8 wins coming by finish which is split between 5 KO/TKO and 2 submissions. Pulyaev will be looking to get the biggest win of his career and secure that illustrious UFC contract when he takes on Liam Anderson in the featured bout on this week's episode of the Contender Series.
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Pulyaev is a long rangy striker who his does best work on the feet at a range where he can let his hands and kicks go. He is always in there looking to land the knockout blow and loves to punish his opponents with kicks. By using his kicks it helps alleviate having to crash the pocket to land his strikes. From there, those kicks help open up his hands making him a dangerous threat every time he throws a combination. In this matchup, Pulyaev is going to need to keep this fight at kicking range and out of Anderson's preferred range because he's got as much power as Pulyaev as he showed in his most recent head-kick knockout. It will be up to Pulyaev to avoid big strikes of Anderson to then land heavy strikes of his own and get him out of there to secure his UFC contract.
Why Liam Anderson Will Win
Liam Anderson comes into this fight on the Contender Series as the No. 1 middleweight prospect out of New York. He has a professional record of 6-2 with wins in each of his last four fights with all four coming by first-round stoppage. Anderson will be looking to extend his finishing streak to five in a row when he takes on Andrey Pulaev this Tuesday night in hopes of getting his UFC contract.
Anderson came out swinging in his last fight against Maurice Morris where he ended him in just 1:24 in round 1 with a brutal headkick. While Anderson has shown power in his strikes and his striking has been vastly improving, it's his grappling where he shines the most. He has now recorded 4 of his 6 wins by submission and this is where he will have the biggest advantage in this fight against Pulyaev. With Pulyaev being primarily a kickboxer, it will be up to Anderson to get on the inside of the kicking range of Pulyaev to land his heavy strikes and then level change to take this fight to the canvas. If Anderson can get this fight to the mat it should be that's all she wrote as Anderson sinks in the submission and gets the UFC contract.
Final Andrey Pulyaev-Liam Anderson Prediction & Pick
This should be a fun fight to end week 3 of the Contender Series between these two middleweight hopefuls. Ultimately, while Pulyaev is a dangerous threat on the feet at range he is also very hittable with his hands down and he has yet to face a grappler like Anderson in his career thus far if this fight hits the canvas Anderson should take full control to get the dominant win on the canvas and obtain that illustrious UFC contract.
Final Andrey Pulyaev-Liam Anderson Prediction & Pick: Liam Anderson (-200)
