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Contender Series Week 5: Navajo Stirling vs. Phil Latu continues with a fight between Kody Steele and Quemuel Ottoni in the lightweight division. Steele is an undefeated prospect who has won all six of his fights coming into his shot on the Contender Series meanwhile, Ottoni has won five-straight fights as he looks to play spoiler on this week's episode. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Belgaroui-Iwasaki prediction and pick.
Kody Steele (6-0) has been running through the competition on the regional scene winning all six of his professional bouts with 4 of them by finish. He is coming off a brutal knockout victory over Alejandro Martinez at Fury FC 89 in his last fight. Steele will be looking to remain unbeaten and secure his UFC contract when he takes on Brazil's Quemuel Ottoni.
Quemuel Ottoni (12-3) has rattled off five-straight victories coming into his first appearance on the Contender Series. This will be his first fight in 28 months and his first fight at 155 lbs when he takes on the undefeated Kody Steele on this week's episode of the Contender Series on Tuesday night.
Here are the Contender Series UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Contender Series Odds: Kody Steele-Quemuel Ottoni Odds
Kody Steele: -175
Quemuel Ottoni: +135
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Why Kody Steele Will Win
Kody Steele is an undefeated prospect who comes into this fight winning all six of his fights with four of them coming by finish. He is coming off a brutal third-round knockout of Alejandro Martinez in his last fight which set him up for his shot on the Contender Series. Now, Steele will fight his stiffest competition to date when he takes on Quemuel Ottoni on Tuesday night.
Steele is a high-level BJJ black belt that has won numerous tournaments during his career on the mats. He brought that grappling pressure into his MMA fights as he utilizes his takedowns to set up his striking. While he is a grappler first and foremost, its his striking that has made leaps and bounds since his professional debut. Steele is very comfortable on the feet as much as he is on the ground to the point where he has knocked out 4 of his 6 opponents.
In this matchup against Ottoni, while Steele is very comfortable fighting on the feet it will be in his best interest to get his grappling going early and often in this fight. This will be Ottoni's first fight in 28 months and his first fight ever at 155 lbs so making him work early defending the grappling will wear out his gas tank and help him down the stretch snatching the submission and securing his spot on the UFC's lightweight roster.
Why Quemuel Ottoni Will Win
Quemuel Ottoni's claim to fame is giving current light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira his first professional loss via submission. Since that victory over Pereira, Ottoni has gone 9-3 and is riding a 5-fight winning streak into this fight. Ottono will be looking to secure the biggest win of his career when he takes on Kody Steele in his attempt to secure his UFC contract on this week's episode of the Contender Series.
Ottoni is a dangerous proposition for Steele who still doesn't have a ton of experience in MMA just yet. His striking is going to give Steele a ton of problems on the feet with the he is able to switch stances and move in and out of range countering as well as he does. This will certainly make it difficult for Steele to just drop down for a takedown. For as good as Steele is in the grappling, he has had trouble controlling fights when it hits the ground and Ottoni's ability to get back to his feet will be crucial in the matchup.
If Ottoni can keep this fight on the feet and at range, he should be able to pick Steele apart on the feet potentially getting the finish as he starts to fade as the fight hits the latter portion of this fight.
Final Kody Steele-Quemuel Ottoni Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a fantastic scrap between these two lightweight competitors. Steele is at his best when he can mix in the takedowns to complement the power he has on the feet meanwhile, Ottoni wants to just press the action and put the pressure on Steele to land his thunderous strikes. Ultimately, expect Steele to look good early on in this fight landing takedowns but it will be Ottoni's ability to get back to his feet and to make Steele work to the point where he can take over as the fight goes on potentially putting him away with a thunderous combination to get the win and the UFC contract.
Final Kody Steele-Quemuel Ottoni Prediction & Pick: Quemuel Ottoni (+135)
